Celebrating Jamaica’s National Storytelling Day
Jamaica’s National Storytelling Day is observed annually on November 20 and celebrates the island’s oral traditions and cultural heritage. The Day is used to commemorate the art of storytelling in Jamaica, whilst honouring the stories that have been passed down through generations,…
World Cities Day – “Cities are living organisms, ever-evolving and adapting”
Through whatever lens you may view it, the city is a microcosm of our lives. At the heart of this space are diverse living beings who call this metropolis home. For the youths in particular, the city is where they come to…
Artificial Intelligence and Good Governance
Each year on September 15, the United Nations (UN) and the global community mark the International Day of Democracy, dedicated to promoting and safeguarding its core principles. Since its inception through a UN resolution in 2007, this day is an important signifier…
International Day of the World’s Indigenous People: “Still Standing: Celebrating the Living Legacy of Jamaica’s Tainos”
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, observed annually on August 9th, honours the valuable knowledge systems of Indigenous communities, recognizing their expertise, wisdom, and traditional practices that have been developed and passed down through generations. The day highlights the significance…
International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief
In Jamaica, Rastafari has been crucial in redefining and reinforcing ancestral, spiritual, and cultural links to Africa. The Rastafarian refusal to accept any of the foundations of colonial ideologies placed its followers directly in opposition to the system, making them targets for…
A Passion for History: Trevor Burnard in-memoriam
By Marsha M. Hall An esteemed scholar and consummate historian, Professor Trevor Burnard was widely recognized for his exceptional work in early American history, the Atlantic region, and the Caribbean. In his lifetime, Burnard was well respected among his peers and students.…
African World Heritage Day 2024
Celebrated on the 5th of May each year, African World Heritage Day (AWHD) is a continental and global celebration of Africa’s rich, natural and exceptional intangible and tangible cultural heritage. That is; on this day, the international community acknowledges the authenticity of…
Standing in Solidarity: World Refugee Day 2024
There is a common saying that in an unpredictable world anyone can be a refugee overnightregardless of ethnicity, social and economic status. While we are not hoping for this to holdtrue, it is important to raise awareness on the precarious situation faced…
International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
By: Marsha M. Hall “Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant”- Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize winner, humanitarian and Holocaust survivor The world has witnessed numerous atrocities of…
Distant Relative: African Influences in Jamaican Patois
Written by: Chelsea Stephenson The continent of Africa has been characterized by migration and mobility whether voluntary orinvoluntary for millenniums. Africans over the centuries have migrated for different reasons toevery corner of the world but none as profound as the forced migration of…
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition
“Fighting slavery’s legacy of racism through transformative education” For decades, the institutionalized system of slavery and its horrific effects and traumatic presence have lingered within the global community, whether in the faces of descendants of the former enslaved African people; powerful images;…
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People – The Legacies of the Taino
Indigenous peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. In Jamaica’s…