| Ever since Errol Flynn cavorted here with
his Hollywood pals in the 1930s and '40s, travellers have
regarded Jamaica as one of the most alluring of the Caribbean
islands. Its beaches, mountains and carnal red sunsets regularly
appear in tourist brochures promising paradise.
Unlike other nearby islands, it caters to all comers: you
can choose a private villa with your own private beach;
laugh your vacation away at a party-hearty resort; throw
yourself into the thick of the island's life; or concentrate
on experiencing the three Rs: reggae, reefers and rum.
Jamaica's character arises from its complex culture, which
aspires to be African in defiance of both the island's geography
and its colonial history. Jamaicans may have a quick wit
and a ready smile, but this is not the happy-go-lucky island
of Bacardi adverts and Harry Belafonte numbers. The island's
sombre history is rooted in the sugar-plantation economy,
and the slave era still weighs heavily on the national psyche.
Rastafarianism may mean easy skankin' to some, but its confused
expression of love, hope, anger and social discontent encapsulates
modern Jamaica - a densely populated, poverty-ridden country
that is struggling to escape dependency and debt.
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