Jamaica Cultural Enterprises Blog

Ward Theatre

8/29/2017

In 1997 I was very excited. Wole Soyinka, the great Nigerian playwright was coming to Jamaica and "The Beatification of Area Boy" was to be staged. I got a ticket and I went to Ward Theatre to see the play. It was a grand theatre, and even though I had what I now realise was a terrible seat (far away and high up), I was happy. I felt I was participating in something great in the best possible location. The Ward Theatre unfortunately since then has significantly deteriorated but this year the long talked about plan to refurbish the theatre was revived and actual work begun. This is a good thing for the city of Kingston as this building has been around for many important moments, both theatrical and non theatrical, in our history.

Certainly in terms of local theatre, the Ward has been an important location, and for decades hosted the annual Pantomime productions featuring the likes of Louise Bennett and Randolph Williams. Many travelling productions took place at Ward Theatre and Paul Robeson performed at the theatre in 1948. Our two major political parties were founded at the Ward Theatre. The theatre was also a place where Marcus Garvey spoke and staged productions. And on. What a pity the building has fallen so low but again how wonderful that there seems to be a commitment on the part of the parish council to revive it.

Even in its current condition it's an arresting building and tours which give more detail of the history can be scheduled. This theatre for many reasons, but primarily because it's been silent witness to Kingston's transformation, is on our list of recommended places to visit when you're in the city.

At 1:51, 2:47 in the YouTube video below is footage of the Ward Theatre (look behind the graceful dancers).

For more information email info@jaculture.com or call 1 876 540 8570 (whatsapp).

Curry Goat

8/27/2017

For the record let me state up front that I'm vegetarian. I have however eaten a great deal of meat in my life, and a huge part of that has been curry goat. I've had good goat and I've had bad goat, but until I started this tour company it never struck me that visitors found goat "exotic". Most of our guests are interested in experiencing Jamaican culture so they will jump right in. Others have to be coaxed. Others refuse. The ones who refuse are missing out. Well prepared curry goat is delicious, and it is definitely something, if you're a meat eater, to try while on the island.

Here are Google search results for "curry goat Jamaica review".

On our food tour curry goat is one of the menu options, and though you do not have to have it, it has not once gotten a bad reception. If you think about it, many people eat lamb and sheep and think nothing of it. Both goats and sheep are small ruminants and stem from the same sub family Caprinae, although they are different species of animals. Although they are differences in behaviour, both animals are similar enough that people often get them mixed up. Goat also is one of the most consumed meats globally.

Give curry goat a try on your trip to Jamaica.

To find out more, email us at info@jaculture.com or call 1 876 540 8570 (whatsapp).

Reach Falls

8/24/2017

Our tours are not very beach-y but there are a few choice water locations that we visit. Of course Reach Falls is on the list. In comparison with other sites it's small and low key, which we like. There are a number of ways to access the falls but the safest bet is to go through the park operated by the Jamaican government which offers a guided experience, well tended gardens, and facilities such as toilets and changing rooms. It's a beautiful location, mostly quiet on week days, and we recommend a visit.

To explore taking part in our Portland Day Trip, email us at info@jaculture.com or call 1 876 540 8570 (whatsapp).

Blue Mountain Coffee and Tour

8/23/2017

It has recently been announced that Starbucks will be entering the Jamaican market in collaboration with Sandals, opening branches in Montego Bay and Kingston. They have also announced that they will be using Jamaican coffee. I am very hopeful that the investment will bring jobs and impact positively on the economy of my island. It is likely though that I will continue to patronise my local coffee shop. It's small and it can get quite crowded (I'm a big fan of personal space and buffer zones) but the coffee is good (they have a variety of hot and cold sophisticated coffee drinks but I always order a regular hot Blue Mountain coffee) and I know for a fact that the coffee is grown in Jamaica. In fact I know exactly where the farm is located. If you've never visited a coffee farm, I highly recommend it.

A coffee farm isn't the most natural environment that you can find but when you're in the mountains and the air is fresh and cool, the birds are darting about, and the coffee aroma is rising from your cup, you're happy. Listen, if you're coming to Jamaica it makes sense that you would check out one of the things Jamaica is most known for. On the tour you find out why the coffee is so good and why is it so expensive. As a bonus you get to purchase high quality coffee at a price much cheaper than you would outside of the island. If you're not a coffee lover, the tour still provides many benefits as you learn about some of our agricultural practices, a little about our economy, and, did I already mention the beauty of the mountains? Breathtaking.

I am hopeful that the Starbucks project will yield positive benefits for Jamaica. Certainly, we at Jamaica Cultural Enterprises will be rooting for solutions and projects that best support our local growers. A visit to a Blue Mountain coffee farm is a great way for you to see first hand what the fuss is about with Jamaican coffee, experience the beauty of the mountains, and learn about the impact of coffee on the lives of Jamaicans.

Peter Tosh Museum

8/22/2017

Another underrated Jamaican musical great is Peter Tosh. In the past few years however he has begun to get some of the recognition he deserves with a posthumous award of Order of Merit from the Jamaican government and the creation of a museum dedicated to him. Located in New Kingston, the Peter Tosh Museum is open to anyone seeking to understand more of what made this man a legend, to comprehend what fueled his ideas, to gain a better understanding of his music, and to see unique artifacts that belonged to the singer. It's small but well designed space and with a great guide the past comes alive. We recommend a visit.

Let us help you organise your trip to the Peter Tosh Museum. Email us at info@jaculture.com or call at 1 876 540 8570 (whatsapp).

Dennis Brown, Crown Prince of Reggae

8/21/2017

The King of Reggae we all know to be Bob Marley. Who's the Prince of Reggae? That of course is Dennis Brown. If you think that's an overstatement listen to the YouTube video below. Seventy five (75) albums; work produced by the greats such as Clement Dodd, Lee "Scratch" Perry, and Sly and Robbie; a Jamaican and international fan base that continues to this day. When he died in 1999 he had a massive funeral at which the then Prime Minister PJ Patterson spoke and praised his musical abilities. Reggae fans will want to visit the grave of Dennis Brown in Kingston to pay their respects and contemplate the rich music produced by this talented Jamaican. Jamaica Cultural Enterprises (JCE) can help you to plan this trip. No problem.

To learn more about our music tours check out our page.
To learn more about our city tours check this page.
For more information email info@jaculture.com or call 1 876 540 8570 (whatsapp).

National Gallery, a Must Visit

8/18/2017

If you know anything about Jamaica Cultural Enterprises (JCE) you know that we are excited by Jamaican culture and equally excited to transfer our knowledge of Jamaican culture to our guests. Jamaica is famous for music of course, but one of the areas where we don't get high enough ratings is for our art. Jamaicans produce amazing art. For us at JCE art isn't necessarily a very lofty, high brow experience where you stand in front of a black dot on a white canvas (or a white dot on a black canvas) and try and figure out it's meaning. Art is expression and comes in various accessible forms. Even if you're not an art enthusiast, to experience Jamaican art is to get a sense of the concerns of Jamaican people. THE place in Jamaica to experience Jamaican art is the National Gallery of Jamaica.

In the Gallery you have very traditional, representational paintings but you also have other things: sculptures, photographs, works done by untrained artists, textiles, and new media. What you see depends on what exhibition is currently on offer. There is also their Last Sundays programme where on the last Sunday of each month they open up for free tours, discussions, and performances. We incorporate Last Sundays into our Sunday walking tour. The Gallery is indoors but has a spacious, organised feeling. It is located near the Kingston Waterfront and with the sea close by, a visit is a win for so many reasons.

We encourage you to come explore Jamaican art and the National Gallery with us. You can check out our art tours here. To contact us to arrange a trip to the National Gallery email info@jaculture.com or call 1 876 540 8570 (whatsapp).

Garvey's 130th Birthday

8/17/2017

Marcus Garvey, who would eventually emerge as a larger than life motivating figure to millions of persons of African descent, was born on this day, August 17 in 1887. He was born in the rural Jamaican town of St. Ann's Bay and visitors to our nation can make a visit to the house where he grew up. That parish wouldn't keep him for too long as Garvey travelled the world setting up chapters of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), an organisation whose aim was to help liberate persons of African descent from their situations of racist and colonial oppression. His radical views of supporting the businesses and political growth of black people and other oppressed groups across the globe made him a controversial figure. There is for example a strong sense of separatism in his message due in large part to his inability to envision in the 1920s a world where black people could thrive under the racist governments which existed across the globe. He has also been incorrectly cast as a back to Africa agitator where the reality is that, while he viewed Africa as the natural ancestral home for persons of colour, he was not interested or believed possible a whole scale migration of black people to the continent. He was brought up on bogus charges of mail fraud in the United States and jailed in 1925. In Jamaica he was also jailed in 1929. These things are to be expected when one is fighting with ardour against oppressive regimes. Garvey had an impact not just in Jamaica but in the United States and on the continent of Africa. Here in Jamaica we have honoured him by declaring him a national hero.

As is customary the Liberty Hall, a museum dedicated to the life and work of Marcus Garvey located downtown Kingston, will have a lecture and various activities to mark the day. This year the title is "Garvey as Literary Muse" to be delivered by author Geoffrey Philp.

To learn more about this influential man we can help you plan your visit to National Heroes Park where Garvey is buried and to Liberty Hall. Contact us at info@jaculture.com or call 1 876 540 8570 (whatsapp) for more information.

Trench Town Rock

8/16/2017

Sophia Dowe, Chief Trench Town Culture Yard Tour Guide

In Kingston alone there are three key Bob Marley related experiences: Bob Marley Museum, Tuff Gong International, and Trench Town Culture Yard. They each have a different flavour and help to give a more rounded story of Marley and his music. To visit Trench Town is to step into a different world, one of deprivation and creativity, conflict and community. I've been asked why do we run tours to this inner city community? Isn't it a glamourisation of poverty, a kind of ugly, self satisfied voyeurism?

The obvious answer is that for us it is none of these things. Trench Town Culture Yard is an initiative of the Trench Town Development Association which is a community run organisation. The tours provide a way for persons to earn a living. Tourism is a major contributor to the GDP in Jamaica, and if some of the income can go to the neediest segment of Jamaica, not in the form of a hand out but as payment for a product, why shouldn't it? On our tours we are very respectful of people's spaces, we go only where allowed by the community, and we go only so far within the community.

The tour itself, run by community guides proud of their heritage, gives a history of Trench Town, explains the life of Bob Marley in Trench Town, and provides live music. Persons also have the option to leave the community run museum and walk with a guide through the streets of Trench Town. This is definitely a one of a kind experience, not to be missed, and wholly recommended. It may not be what you expected but it is guaranteed to be unforgettable.

To schedule a tour with us to Trench Town email info@jaculture.com or call 1 876 540 8570 (whatsapp).

Why Visit Port Royal?

8/15/2017

Port Royal is billed as having been the richest and wickedest city in the world due in large part to the presence of pirates. All this is absolutely true but much of the charm of Port Royal lies not in stories of Henry Morgan (who by the way, was no joke), but in modern day activity. Port Royal is situated at the tip of a peninsula in the middle of the sea and has a very rural, small town flavour, unexpected given its proximity to greater Kingston but explained by its relative isolation. It's a place known for its safety record so you can freely wander, and everyone in the town of maybe 1500 people, knows everybody. There's usually a domino game taking place some where and the fishing boats bob on the water in the background. To get the history of the place a visit to the Maritime Museum at Fort Charles is in order and you can top it off with a meal at Gloria's, a popular seafood restaurant. In the mood for a swim? Hire a fishing boat and head to Lime Cay, a sandy island off the coast of Jamaica. Port Royal has a sense of history in a modern day slow rhythm Caribbean setting that's curious and hard to replicate.

Let us help you organise your trip to Port Royal so you can see and feel it for yourself. Email us at info@jaculture.com or call 1 876 540 8570 (whatsapp).