There will be disputations about this one, but I will stand my ground: overall, in a region of powerhouses, with many different island cultures competing, the Jamaican version today is probably the most dynamic of them all. In its diversity, in its quality, and in the reputation it holds on so many international stages, it is a body of significant achievement, and even its closest challenger, Trinidad and Tobago, is not quite there; the achievements are widespread and impressive.
In the field of literature, Jamaica has produced a coterie of significant writers – Andrew Salkey; Lorna Goodison; John Hearne; Mervyn Morris; John Mordecai (his name is not well known but he merits mention) who have made a name for their country in their writings. Year after year, the works are produced, many of them relying proudly on the Jamaican dialect which is not understandable to all outside the island. A high point for this devotion is the annual Calabash Festival which brings together writers and adjudicators from around the world, not just the Caribbean, in an impressive recognition of things accomplished.
The island’s reputation in painting is also secure with a range of styles and genres, and to stroll through Jamaica’s museums and art galleries is to be amazed at the level and, for such a small nation, the maturity of the work. Barrington Watson, one of my favourites, is known for his dense renderings of scenery and individual portraits, but for me his true genius is in the black-and-white pen drawings he makes of the female form as a prelude to his paintings. The grace and balance of those drawings are
