Preserving Cultural Heritage
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”, stated Marcus Carvey, a proud Jamaican politician ("Marcus Garvey Quotes at BrainyQuote.com", 2016). There are many persons across the world that stand firm to cultivate their culture and make their ethos flourish fruitfully. Bennett-Coverly, a “Jamaican activist and poet” speaks in her video “Miss Lou: Fi Wi Language” about cultural pride ("MISS LOU: Fi Wi Language (Jamaican Patwah)", 2016). Appointed as “a Member of the Order of Merit for her distinguished contribution to the development of Arts and Culture” and having received many achievements and awards, Ms. Bennett-Coverly is definitely a person that has …show more content…
The Caribbean is full of diversified languages and dialects. Its population is made up an intermixture of British, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Asians, Spaniards and Africans, who settled in the Caribbean for different reasons by force or voluntary, bringing their own traditions, music, food, language and way of life. ("The Caribbean Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about The Caribbean", 2016) Once in the Caribbean, they met different people that were already settled, who had their own way of living and their own language. All these different groups were living in a geographically small area; it was impossible for them to stay by themselves, they intermingled with the other groups and miscegenation was inevitable. Defined by Britannica School, miscegenation “is the marriage or cohabitation by persons of different races” ("UWIlinC - miscegenation", 2016). Thus, new groups of people emerged, making the Caribbean region a place rich in cultural diversity. These new “hybrid” incorporated traditions, customs, beliefs, language from their ancestors; thus, exhibiting new and diverse way of living (Hall, n.d.). Diversity does not only enclose skin color, it also includes food, clothing and language. After the blending of the different races, different patois also emerged. In the video Miss Lou addressed her audience in Jamaican patois. The Cambridge Dictionaries Online, define patois …show more content…
Some of our young people feel embarrassed of where they live and origin. In Belize, the highest concentration of Mayas is in the southern region. These natives have been fighting to preserve their land and culture for years. They have taken the Government of Belize to the Supreme Court in Caribbean Court of Justice for their rightful rights (Campbell & Anaya, 2008). The Ketchi women proudly walk in the court with their traditional dresses and the men wear their straw hats. Moreover, they speak their language openly. They do not pay attention to people muttering about their looks; they are proudly representing their roots. Nonetheless, in other parts of the country, people are ashamed of being Ketchi Maya descendants. Individuals should be proud of their roots despite if they are Mayas, Creole, Jamaicans or any other mixture or race.
In addition to talk in their beautiful native language that the Jamaicans themselves created, Miss Lou encourages individuals to apprize and preserve their legacy. She also encourages people to practice their cultural traditions and beliefs, and to impart this distinguished inheritance to their off springs in order to keep the culture alive. If individuals don’t practice their beliefs, they will eventually forget them. Miss Lou pleads to the Jamaican community to preserve their cultural beliefs and practice their
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”, stated Marcus Carvey, a proud Jamaican politician ("Marcus Garvey Quotes at BrainyQuote.com", 2016). There are many persons across the world that stand firm to cultivate their culture and make their ethos flourish fruitfully. Bennett-Coverly, a “Jamaican activist and poet” speaks in her video “Miss Lou: Fi Wi Language” about cultural pride ("MISS LOU: Fi Wi Language (Jamaican Patwah)", 2016). Appointed as “a Member of the Order of Merit for her distinguished contribution to the development of Arts and Culture” and having received many achievements and awards, Ms. Bennett-Coverly is definitely a person that has …show more content…
The Caribbean is full of diversified languages and dialects. Its population is made up an intermixture of British, French, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Asians, Spaniards and Africans, who settled in the Caribbean for different reasons by force or voluntary, bringing their own traditions, music, food, language and way of life. ("The Caribbean Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about The Caribbean", 2016) Once in the Caribbean, they met different people that were already settled, who had their own way of living and their own language. All these different groups were living in a geographically small area; it was impossible for them to stay by themselves, they intermingled with the other groups and miscegenation was inevitable. Defined by Britannica School, miscegenation “is the marriage or cohabitation by persons of different races” ("UWIlinC - miscegenation", 2016). Thus, new groups of people emerged, making the Caribbean region a place rich in cultural diversity. These new “hybrid” incorporated traditions, customs, beliefs, language from their ancestors; thus, exhibiting new and diverse way of living (Hall, n.d.). Diversity does not only enclose skin color, it also includes food, clothing and language. After the blending of the different races, different patois also emerged. In the video Miss Lou addressed her audience in Jamaican patois. The Cambridge Dictionaries Online, define patois …show more content…
Some of our young people feel embarrassed of where they live and origin. In Belize, the highest concentration of Mayas is in the southern region. These natives have been fighting to preserve their land and culture for years. They have taken the Government of Belize to the Supreme Court in Caribbean Court of Justice for their rightful rights (Campbell & Anaya, 2008). The Ketchi women proudly walk in the court with their traditional dresses and the men wear their straw hats. Moreover, they speak their language openly. They do not pay attention to people muttering about their looks; they are proudly representing their roots. Nonetheless, in other parts of the country, people are ashamed of being Ketchi Maya descendants. Individuals should be proud of their roots despite if they are Mayas, Creole, Jamaicans or any other mixture or race.
In addition to talk in their beautiful native language that the Jamaicans themselves created, Miss Lou encourages individuals to apprize and preserve their legacy. She also encourages people to practice their cultural traditions and beliefs, and to impart this distinguished inheritance to their off springs in order to keep the culture alive. If individuals don’t practice their beliefs, they will eventually forget them. Miss Lou pleads to the Jamaican community to preserve their cultural beliefs and practice their