Welcome to the website we have created to share the story so far of the Jamaica Wales Alliance / Dolen Jamaica-Cymru.
NB Currently we don't have funds or plans to translate the site into either Jamaican or Welsh, so we'll be using English, the language that the English introduced to both countries, as it is the common language we have between the countries of Jamaica and Wales.
However as there was a Japanese / Jamaican Dictionary published a few years ago, perhaps a Jamaican / Welsh dictionary could be a project for the future!
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November 2023: The Jamaica Wales Alliance Advisory Group meets regularly each week on Zoom with Coy Roache leading us forward to progress our plans for the Pennants Project with regular meetings with the Pennants Community Development Committee.
Check http://www.spanglefish.com/PennantsProject
We are working closely with the Douglas Pennant Family Foundation and the Clarendon Parish Development Committee Benevolent Society who will take over management of projects
Vivian Crawford is leading our community research into the tennants strike in Pennants led by Robert Rumble and the Pennants Plantations and the development of the Pennants Heritage Research Group.
For more information - contact us
Also Blessings and Recognition for Miss Rob, in photo below, who passed earier this year - she was an amazing person, a real community activist and campaigner, and she will be very much missed.
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2020 - 2022 The JWA operated online, maintaining and developing contacts and now the JWA Advisory Group is in place, with:
Coy Roache: Chair
Vivian Crawford: Vice Chair
Liz Millman: Secretary
Dr Walter Leavell: Rotary International Representative
Supported by the Pennants Community Development Committee and others with interest.
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2019 - Update - Thanks go to Yasus Afari for undertaking the Jamaica Wales Alliance Black History Month Tour of Wales in October 2019 Click HERE
Yasus Afari started the JWA 2019 Tour in Pennants, Jamaica with a poetry workshop at John Austin All Age Sschool for the 'Building Bridges' project linking schools in Jamaica and schools in Wales. The session and interviews with Principal Ainsworth Williams and Miss Rob were filmed Click HERE (will be available soon)
Yasus Afari supported Learning Links International workshops in schools in Bangor and Bethesda with a focus on our shared history and using poetry to tell the story.
Yasus Afari supported Jamaica Day at Ysgol Maesgirchen in Bangor.
For more on the Jamaica Wales Alliance 2019 Tour of Wales Click HERE
Nov 2018 Update
The Jamaican High Commissioner, His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, his wife Dr Lola Ramocan and the Community Relations Officer at the JHC, Mrs Vivienne Siva, undertook a 3 day tour of Wales starting in Cardiff on 14th August, before travelling up to North Wales on Wed 15th Aug to attend a welcome at Bangor University, a visit to Penrhyn Caste and a Civic Reception hosted by the Mayor of Bangor. The highlight of the day on Thursday 16th August was a visit to the Denbigh Show.
We have also made great progress in the development of links between the City of Bangor and May Pen, Clarendon. See News.
How the Jamaica Wales Alliance got started ......
The Jamaica Welsh Alliance was created when a small delegation from Wales was invited to Jamaica by Jamaican poet, Yasus Afari, in September 2016 to explore the creation of sustainable links between the two countries. Yasus Afari has visited Wales many times to help develop and support Black History Month activities.He has performed with Richard Douglass Pennant, who is also a poet.
Yasus Afari arranged meetings with the Jamaican Commission for Cultural Development and the Institute of Jamaica which got the delegation's programme off to a flying start and the week of visits, poetry events and consultation ended in a Reception hosted at the British High Commission in Kingston.
Members of the Welsh delegation at the Jamaican Commission for Cultural Development.
Jonathan Greenland has agreed to facilitate the development of the Jamaican Wales Alliance. Jonathan is Welsh and now living and working as Director of the Museum of Jamaica. Liz Millman, CEO of Learning Links International, will manage the first steps to support the set up of links.
Please check through the various tabs to check out the potential links and other information and ideas.
We will be setting up a facebook page, but please feel free to contact the Jamaica Wales Alliance through the Contact Us page.
