Famous Jamaicans
Famous Jamaicans can be found in many different walks of life but mostly in the fields of entertainment, sport or politics. The danger of a page like this is that it just becomes a list of names, which you may read and say to yourself, "I've never heard of him" or "I didn’t know she was Jamaican". But read on... |
So, before we look at those people that Jamaicans themselves might think of as being ‘famous’, let’s just run through a list of some of the others I’m not going to go into detail about.
People like Naomi Campbell, Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, Grace Jones, Ziggy Marley and Millie Small from the entertainment industry.
Then, Don Quarrie, Donovan Bailey, Devon White, Linford Christie, Asafa Powell, Patrick Ewing, Alf Valentine and Courtney Walsh from the world of sports – not to mention probably the most famous Jamaican sportsman of them all, or probably most infamous, anyway – Ben Johnson, who was at the center of an Olympic doping scandal.
It would also be remiss of me not to mention the famous Jamaican bobsleigh team, gloriously celebrated in the film ‘Cool Runnings’ – how could we forget them?
Also, did you know that Jamaica has produced three Miss World winners – not bad for an island of that size. When you’re lying on the beaches, though, you’ll likely wonder how come it has been only three!
Possibly the most famous Jamaican
Most people, however, inevitably will conjure up one name alone when they think about famous Jamaican personalities – that of Bob Marley. Robert Nesta Marley, to be precise; born in February 1945 in Saint Ann to a 50 year old white father and an 18 year old black mother.
A boy who suffered almost inevitable bullying, because of his mixed origins, his small stature and his impoverished Trenchtown background – where his mother had been forced to relocate after his father’s death, when Bob was just 10 years old.
But a boy who grew to be not only a reggae musician of world renown – introducing the trademark rhythms – and the dreadlocks – with songs such as ‘I shot the sheriff’ and ‘No woman, no cry’, but also a symbol of the Rastafarian faith which helped sustain him through to the end of his painful death from cancer in 1981. Some would say, Bob Marley, one of THE most famous Jamaicans!
You cannot escape Bob Marley in Jamaica – his music and image are everywhere - but why should you want to, anyway? The museum in Hope Road, Kingston is a ‘must see’, even for non-reggae fans, and for the true devotees there is also the Mausoleum in Nine Miles.
Politically Famous People from Jamaica
Politically, the most famous Jamaican is probably still Marcus Garvey, the black nationalist who founded the ‘Back to Africa’ movement in the United States and was a figure of great inspiration to civil rights’ activists in the years after his death. Although Marcus Garvey died in London in 1940, his body was returned to his home island in 1964, when he was officially declared to be Jamaica’s first National Hero.
Two other famous Jamaicans deserve a special mention – because when you visit you might well come across their names in a variety of places – and that’s Sam Sharpe and Tacky.
Sam Sharpe was born and raised in Montego Bay and became a Baptist preacher, speaking out against the iniquities of slavery. In December, 1831, Sharpe organized first, a general strike against slavery and then an uprising which started in St James but spread throughout the island.
Although the rebellion failed and Sharpe, along with 137 others, was executed, it was an important step along the way to abolition. After independence in 1975, the square where the executions took place in Montego Bay was renamed Sam Sharpe Square and Sharpe himself named a National Hero.
Finally, Tacky, who was a Coromantee chief originally from Guinea who organized a significant slave revolt on Easter Sunday, 1760. You can see the Tacky Monument in Claude Stuart Park in Port Maria. People like Sam Sharpe and Tacky are iconic figures in Jamaican history and two of many famous people from Jamaica. A few famous Jamaicans from a long, long list!
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