The participation of Cuban-Jamaicans in Jamaica’s engagement of its diaspora is being demanded.
Yamile Hall, the leader of the 5,700-member Jamaican Overseas Club in Cuba, claimed that despite being the group in the diaspora closest to Jamaica, “we are a forgotten community.”
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Many Cuban-Jamaicans, who are descended from Jamaicans and currently reside in Cuba, have expressed a desire to learn more about their ancestors on the island but have encountered challenges in doing so, according to Hall.
“Many of our brothers lost total contact with their ancestors [and their descendants in Jamaica] and today they do not know their origins. In my house, I was able to find my ancestors and their descendants after 100 years of the arrival of my grandfather to Cuba, but many Cuban-Jamaicans are seeking to make such a connection,” Hall told The Gleaner news media.
She feels that the government may assist and support the community of Jamaican descendants in Cuba by making systematic contact with them, allowing access to records, boosting interaction with the community, and beginning the process of accepting citizenship requests.
Hall said that after submitting an application for Jamaican citizenship for both herself and her son in 2021, she has not yet heard back.
She said that the Jamaican Embassy in Havana informed her last year that it was no longer accepting applicants for citizenship. It recommended anyone desiring Jamaican citizenship to visit Jamaica and submit an application there.
Such travel, according to Hall, is a significant barrier for a community with few resources.
She continued by saying that the Cuban embassy has not even complied with a straightforward request for a Jamaican flag.
The Jamaican Overseas Club uses the Internet to connect primarily, according to Hall, hence they are not a formal group with a headquarters. She defines it as a forum for discussion and the expansion of historical knowledge.
Hall whose grandfather originated from the parish of St. Mary noted, “I was motivated to establish the Jamaican Overseas Club as a vehicle through which we can seek such connections.” She noted, “we do not pursue any other purpose than solidarity, aid, and exchange with the community of descendants of Jamaicans residing in Cuba and other parts of the world.”
The history of Jamaica’s connection with its closest neighbor may be traced back to the time of colonization when both islands were governed by Spain before Jamaica was taken over by the British in 1655.
According to Jamaica Journal, hundreds of British West Indians, especially Jamaicans, traveled to Cuba during the beginning of the 20th century to work in the agricultural sector or fill vacancies in the service sector.
But there were significant difficulties, mostly brought on by colorism.
Things had greatly improved by the 1970s, and official diplomatic ties between the islands were established. Following that, Cuba constructed a number of schools and hospitals in Jamaica’s more rural regions.
Some notable people who were born on both islands have crossed paths.
When Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley met with Cuban President Fidel Castro in 1980, The Washington Post noted: “Jamaica is in a unique position as the Caribbean nation with the longest close relationship with Cuba and, at least among the English-speaking islands, the one with the most ties with the United States.”
On the entertainment front, the countries helped establish two well-known music genres. Reggae and salsa both have significant African elements and were born in Jamaica and Cuba, respectively.
