WHAT WE DO
The African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica (ACIJ) was established in 1973 as a division of the Institute of Jamaica to deepen public awareness of African cultural retention and its relationship to the other ethnic groups in Jamaica.
The Jamaica Memory Bank (JMB) began as independent agency in 1980, and in 1990 the Jamaica Memory Bank (JMB) was integrated into the ACIJ, forming the ACIJ/JMB.
They were integrated to complement each other in fulfilling the mission to collect, research, document and disseminate information about Jamaica’s cultural heritage through the utilization of oral and scribal sources.
The JMB documents Jamaica’s social history via audiovisual recordings of the memories of senior citizens throughout the country. The ACIJ/JMB has a wealth of resources relating to Afro-Jamaican and other ethnic cultural heritage and a vast area of Jamaica’s social history.
WHAT WE DO
Research
Document
Disseminate information Exhibitions Educational Programmes Library services Create Publications Encourage
Document
Disseminate information Exhibitions Educational Programmes Library services Create Publications Encourage
In fulfilling its mandate, the ACIJ/JMB has developed a systematic research and documentation programme, thereby establishing its importance as a centre for the study of African presence in Jamaican and Caribbean culture. This programme includes research conducted on traditional dance forms, various aspects of language, traditional and popular music, religions, food, social movement, herbal medicine, festivals, and community histories..