Jamaica, told in Patois

Reading is how a language stops being a list of words. These are short pieces on the things Jamaicans actually talk about — how the country is governed, where jerk came from, who Paul Bogle was — written in Patois, with a full English translation underneath and the sources for every fact at the bottom.

Nothing here is invented. Where a piece states a date, a number or a name, it is cited.

Government and law

• Gordon House: How Jamaica Run — Kingston

Music

• Trench Town: Weh Reggae Baan — Kingston
• Half Way Tree an di Dancehall Era — St. Andrew
• Nine Mile — Weh Bob Marley Baan — St. Ann
• Reggae Sumfest — St. James
• Peter Tosh — Westmoreland stepping razor — Westmoreland
• Toots an Freddie: Two Big Son a Clarendon — Clarendon
• Portmore: Sunshine City an Di New Generation — St. Catherine

History

• Coronation Market an di City weh Rise from di Sea — Kingston
• Stony Gut an di Two Hero dem — St. Thomas
• Tacky War, 1760 — St. Mary
• GoldenEye — Weh James Bond Baan — St. Mary
• Firefly — Noël Coward Hilltop — St. Mary
• Discovery Bay, di Taino, an Dunn's River — St. Ann
• Di Maroon dem an Falmouth tung — Trelawny
• Lucea an di clock weh miss i boat — Hanover
• Frome — weh modern Jamaica politics born — Westmoreland
• Black River — di tung a firsts — St. Elizabeth
• Milk River Bath: Hot Wata Wid Powa — Clarendon
• Spanish Town: Di Ole Capital — St. Catherine
• Rio Cobre an Flat Bridge: Riva Story Dem — St. Catherine
• Windrush — Jamaica Inna London — Farin
• New York — Flatbush to Di Bronx — Farin
• Toronto — Likkle Jamaica Pon Eglinton — Farin

National heroes

• George William Gordon: Di Hero from di Hills — St. Andrew
• Paul Bogle an di Morant Bay Rebellion — St. Thomas
• Grandy Nanny an Moore Town — Portland
• Marcus Garvey — Di Fus National Hero — St. Ann
• Sam Sharpe an di Christmas Rebellion — St. James
• Bustamante: fram Blenheim to Prime Minister — Hanover
• Norman Manley — di hero fram Roxborough — Manchester

Work and economy

• UWI Mona an di Coffee weh Sweet di World — St. Andrew
• Di Banana Boat Days a Port Antonio — Portland
• MoBay: di tourism capital — St. James
• Fishing village dem an di sea economy — Hanover
• Negril — fram fishing village to seven mile a sand — Westmoreland
• St. Bess — di parish weh feed Jamaica — St. Elizabeth
• Red dirt an coffee — Mandeville economy — Manchester
• South Florida — Jamaica Hill an di Barrel Economy — Farin

Faith

• Kumina: Di Drum weh Memba Africa — St. Thomas
• Chuch bell an free village — faith afta Emancipation — Manchester
• Di One Dem Weh Come Back — Farin

Food

• Boston Bay — Weh Jerk Baan — Portland
• Yam country — Trelawny
• Appleton Estate — rum inna di valley — St. Elizabeth
• Ackee an Saltfish: How Di National Dish Reach Ya — Clarendon

Sport

• Usain Bolt a Sherwood Content — Trelawny