Matt Meltzer (National Geographic) explores Kingston as a culture capital in the Caribbean. He writes, “Bob Marley helped create a musical mecca. Now the city is betting that a vibrant mix of art, food, and heritage will restore its title as a cultural epicenter of the Caribbean.” Here are excerpts; see full article and photos at National Geographic. [Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this item to our attention.]

In the 1960s, Kingston, Jamaica, was a musical mecca, where Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert, and other artists were drawn by the recording studios and record shops lining so-called Beat Street. But political unrest and rampant crime marred the following decades. Now downtown Kingston is forging a comeback as a Caribbean cultural capital.  

“This place is just buzzing,” says Janet Crick, the deputy director of Kingston Creative. The nonprofit is responsible for the colorful concourse covered in murals of Jamaican landscapes and icons that runs from the National Gallery of Jamaica to the museum district. “We’ve done tremendous work in the past six years, and bit by bit we’re stripping off some of the negative images that have become attached to Kingston.” [. . .]

A new hotel signifies rebirth

The centerpiece of downtown’s revival is the ROK Hotel, an acronym for “Rebirth of Kingston” but also a nod to a Scandinavian term for “room and kitchen.” The capital’s lone Hilton Tapestry property stands on the waterfront as an icon of urban resurgence; its restaurant Palate has won multiple awards as best in the nation.

“The vision is to bring Kingston back as this epicenter of the Caribbean,” says Marlene Bruckridge, ROK’s director of sales and marketing. “We’re a city of culture, and it’s important that people know Jamaica isn’t just sun and sand.” [. . .]

A changing food culture

Port Royal, Kingston’s historic seaport district, just opened a new cruise terminal, which Donovan White, director of tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board, says has been instrumental in the city’s recent revival. But on this cool night in early November, the ships are a distant afterthought as the Historic Naval Dockyard hosts its annual Jamaica Food and Drink Festival, which showcases Kingston’s booming dining scene. [. . .]

Arts renaissance

Enjoy these delicacies while strolling mural-lined Water Lane, a testament to the visual arts’ return to downtown. On the last Sunday of every month, Kingston Creative hosts a free public art walk where musicians and dancers join the artists who made the murals for a daylong cultural showcase. The new event has played a big part in bringing people back to the urban core.

“People were saying, ‘Hey, why don’t we turn some of these areas into art and create interest, so people would want to come and [experience] our culture?’” says Dwayne Little, curatorial assistant at the National Gallery of Jamaica. The gallery is downtown’s artistic centerpiece, a two-story museum carved out of an old department store. [. . .]

“There’s so much to do now,” says White. “With our cultural activities, music festivals, and access to the city, Kingston has turned into a metropolis in the Caribbean people want to be a part of.”

For full article, see https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/kingston-jamaica-cultural-capital

[Photo above by HAHN+HARTUNG, LAIF/REDUX: Kingston, Jamaica’s capital city tucked between the Blue Mountains and the Caribbean Sea, is seeing a creative rebirth as artists, chefs, and musicians open new ventures.]