Sunday August 6 is the 61st anniversary of Jamaica's independence from its British colonial rulers. (Relations with the United Kingdom remain close: Jamaica is officially a constitutional monarchy with King Charles III as head of state, and it is one of 56 members of the Commonwealth.)
Jamaica is the size of Connecticut with the population of Chicago. Despite its small size, Jamaica's culture punches way above its weight, especially through the music it has been exporting since independence. The list of Jamaican musical genres that have been popular worldwide is extensive: Mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall, ragga and the list goes on. You might say that Jamaica is the world's smallest cultural superpower.
This week (Sunday August 6, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) Global A Go-Go pays tribute to "the Rock" (as Jamaicans call their home island) with a very personal look at some of my favorite Jamaican musical exports: All Jamaican artists, all recorded in Jamaica over the last 61 years.
A podcast of this week's program will be available soon at radio4all.net/series/Global%20A%20Go-Go.