Brooklyn print edition (PDF) - Caribbean Life

Aug. 3–9, 2012 • Caribbean Life • Brooklyn/Staten Island • Page 6Maroons hope tourism can save Jamaican cultureBy David McfaddenCHARLES TOWN, Jamaica(AP) — In a backwoodstown along a river cuttingbetween green mountains,quick-footed men and womenspin and stomp to the beat ofdrums. One dancer waving aknife is wrapped head-to-footin leafy branches, his flashingeyes barely visible throughthe camouflage.This traditional dance reenactsthe Jamaican Maroons’specialty: the ambush. It wasonce a secret ritual of thefierce bands of escaped slaveswho won freedom by launchingraids on planters’ estatesand repelling invasions oftheir forest havens with amastery of guerrilla warfare.But on this day, descendantsof those 18th centuryfugitives are performing fortourists, academics, filmmakersand other curious outsidersin a fenced “Asafu” dancingyard in Charles Town, aonce-moribund Maroon settlementin eastern Jamaicathat seemed destined to loseits traditions until revivalistsgradually brought it back.In this July 5, 2012 picture, Jamaican Maroon Colonel Noel Prehay pose for a photooutside his home in the rural community of Scott’s Hall, Jamaica.AP Photo/David McFaddenMaroons in the Caribbeanare increasingly showcasingtheir unique culture forvisitors in hopes that heritagetourism will guaranteejobs for the young generationand preserve what remains oftheir centuries-old practicesin mostly remote settlements.The basic idea has been triedaround the world, from theGusii people of Kenya to theartisans of the Blue RidgeMountains of North Carolina.“If we don’t follow in thefootsteps of our foreparentswe will find ourselves on theheap of history,” said WallaceSterling, the “colonel” ofthe Windward Maroon communityof Moore Town. It isone of Jamaica’s four semiautonomousMaroon tracts,each governed by an electedcolonel, a title bestowed onMaroon leaders since theirbattles with the British army,and a council appointed bythe leader.Trying to counter the endlesstide of migration andassimilation, long secretiveMaroons are more and moregoing public with the oldways — singing sacred songs,drumming, making herbalmedicine, talking to ancestralspirits, woodcarving, huntingand “jerking” wild pigs.Maroons are credited withinventing Jamaica’s “jerk”style of cooking, in whicharomatic spices are rubbed orstuffed into meat before it isroasted on an open fire.The turn to small-scaletourism for income can safeguardthe Maroons’ futureand their cultural identity,leaders say. They say it hasboosted pride among youngerMaroons and encouragedsome to stay in their ruralhometowns. Other moneymakingopportunities arescarce in the communities ofmodest cement-block homesand tiny shops selling colddrinks and snacks.“For a long time, it’s beenvery difficult to keep theyoung people because theytend to leave for the citiesto seek work. But now wecan train tour guides and ourpeople can sell their crafts,their banana and coconuts,”said Fearon Williams, thecolonel of Accompong. Anannual Jan. 6 celebrationdraws thousands of visitors tothe isolated town, which sitsamong rocky cliffs and limestonetowers in northwesternJamaica. “Tourism is makingus stronger.”A tour bus now comesweekly to Charles Town, avillage whose colonel, FrankLumsden, worked as a commoditiestrader in Chicagobefore returning to Jamaicain the late 1990s to focus onhis ancestral roots.There are also Maroonsin Suriname, on the SouthAmerican mainland, whereescaped slaves over the centuriesbuilt their own Africancenteredsocieties in sparselypopulated Amazonian forests.Suriname’s Maroons also saya broadening emphasis onecotourism is helping fightcultural disintegration.MEDICAL, COSMETIC & SURGICAL DERMATOLOGYAlan Kling, MD (Board-Certified Dermatologist)AcneCystsWartsMolesScalp conditionsRashesPsoriasisHPV infectionsHair lossSpider veinsGenital wartsNail problemsKeloidsComplexion problemsEczemaSkin allergiesBlemishesWhite & dark spotsSTD’sHerpesFungal conditionsBotox, Juvederm, Radiesse, Fillers, Laser Hair & Vein Removal,Xtrac Laser for Psoriasis and Vitiligo, Chemical Peels, CosmeticSkin Treatments, Contact Allergy Testing718-636-042527 8th Avenue(One block from Prospect Park)Brooklyn, NY 11217212-288-13001000 Park Avenue(At 84th Street)New York, NY 10028MOST INSURANCES ACCEPTED (FOR MEDICAL SERVICES)SATURDAY HOURS AVAILABLE