The Journey Is Not Complete Jamaica's Maroons Keep Up the Fight for Resistance and Justice

The wooden walls of the village hall in Charles Town, Jamaica, are adorned with a procession of shadowy figures: a tribute to the resistance struggle of the Maroons – African people who escaped enslavement and created their own free communities in remote and hilly parts of the island.

- Natricia Duncan

Set in the lush embrace of majestic Jamaican hills and mountains, the idyllic settlement is quiet but for the crowing of unseen roosters. The Maroon spiritual leader Gloria Simms, affectionately called Mama G, warmly greets neighbours as she walks towards the hall – hair wrapped, her colourful dress moving with the gentle breeze.

Simms, who was honoured with the chieftain title of Gaa’mang in Suriname, exudes a regal air as she sits among the rows of benches to tell the story of her Maroon ancestors.

It began on the plantations where people from across west Africa were taken in shackles after being kidnapped from their homes. Some had stood in markets while plantation owners examined their bodies to determine their value. Some felt the searing pain of the iron brand after purchase. And on the plantations they had witnessed and experienced unspeakable horrors that led them to conclude it was better to die seeking liberty than to live as a slave.

Centuries later, five main Maroon communities in Jamaica are still thriving: the Accompong, Charles Town, Moore Town, Scott’s Hall and Flagstaff Maroons. Each has at least a few hundred residents who follow the customs of their ancestors, such as forms of governance, medicine, music, and cleansing and religious rituals.

Similar communities survive in other countries, including Suriname, Brazil and Colombia.