ABSTRACT
Jamaica…for most people living in Europe and the States the word probably conjures up a confused set of images-a patchwork of impressions derived from rum bottle labels, television and travel ads. This is the Jamaica of the travel brochures-a tropical paradise of white beaches, blue seas and swaying palms. And as far as history is concerned, there are the grand old plantation houses-stately reminders of the “centuries of British rule” (Jamaica was a British colony until 1962). An even more romantic picture of the island and its history can be found in childhood books and Hollywood adventure films. Here, the word “Jamaica” summons up a world of pirates and doubloons, of Captain Henry Morgan and the Brethren of the Coast holding the high seas to bloody ransom from Port Royal. And together these two versions blend to give us a picture of an enchanted island which, between its “colourful” past and carefree present, has experienced few real problems.
