Although I haven’t gone out exploring as yet, I did learn
some interesting facts about the history of UWI Mona and
Jamaica.
The long and colorful history of the 653 acres of the Mona estate goes
back to the days of black enslavement. During this period the site of the Mona
campus was a sugar plantation that connected the communities of Hope, Papine
and Mona.
The rich Northern landscape then became a refugee camp for Jews
during the 1900s, before finally joining a special relationship with the
University of London (England) and becoming the home of UWI Mona in 1948.
The colourful history of Jamaica does not just begin and end
with UWI Mona, its also encompasses the sensual history of Jamaican music.
The
rhythm of the island is greatly influenced by African folk music and other Caribbean
music, as well as other genres found in American and European cultures.
Music
in Jamaica began with Mento, before moving into Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, and
eventually reaching its height with Dancehall music.
Just like the cultural history of Mona, the musical history of Jamaica expands over many eras and has seen a great abundance of change.
Just like the cultural history of Mona, the musical history of Jamaica expands over many eras and has seen a great abundance of change.
Fun Fact:
The decorative shrubs that are located around Mona
campus are actually wells that slaves who “misbehaved” were thrown into as
punishment. However these wells were so deep that the slaves could not climb
out, so instead of being a nest for punishment the wells were in fact death traps.
