The Royal Heritage Institute Jamaica

07/05/2026

20/10/2025

The Royal Heritage Institute Jamaica extends warm congratulations to Mrs. Vivienne May Nelson Campbell on being bestowed by the Government of Jamaica with the National Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service for her contribution to the Jamaica Community in Canada today October 20, 2025 at Kings House, Kingston Jamaica during the celebrations of National Heroes Day

20/10/2025

National Heroes Day Jamaica: A Family Celebration of Culture and History.

National Heroes Day Jamaica is a special time to celebrate not only our national heroes but also the rich culture and history they fought to protect. It’s an opportunity for families to come together, reflect, and engage in meaningful activities that honour our heroes’ legacies. This article is the second part (for part one click here) of a three-part mini-series leading up to National Heroes Day Jamaica, celebrated every third Monday in October. In this part, we will explore how families can create lasting traditions that celebrate Jamaican culture while educating the younger generation about the significance of National Heroes Day Jamaica.

Storytelling: Passing Down Our Heroes’ Stories
One of the most meaningful ways to celebrate National Heroes Day Jamaica is through storytelling. Oral tradition has long been an integral part of Jamaican culture, and National Heroes Day Jamaica provides a perfect opportunity to continue this practice. Parents, grandparents, and even teachers can share the stories of Nanny of the Maroons, Marcus Garvey, Paul Bogle, and other Jamaican heroes with children. These narratives can come to life through family discussions, bedtime stories, or even during community gatherings where older generations share their knowledge of Jamaica’s rich history.

Encouraging children to understand the fight for freedom helps instil a sense of pride in Jamaican heritage. Schools can also contribute by organising virtual storytelling sessions where heroes’ lives are recounted in creative formats.

Cultural Crafts: Connecting with Jamaica’s Heritage
Engaging in cultural crafts is another interactive way for children to celebrate National Heroes Day Jamaica. By crafting symbols tied to Jamaican heritage, children can create lasting memories while learning more about the country’s history.

Families can work on projects such as creating small replicas of Jamaican national flags, constructing cardboard models of historical landmarks, like Port Royal or National Heroes Park. Or designing posters that feature the images of Jamaican national heroes. These art projects not only nurture creativity but also provide an opportunity to dive deeper into the stories behind these figures. Parents can explain the significance of the Jamaican flag’s colours—black, green, and gold—and what they symbolise for the nation.

For a hands-on approach, families can even work on recreating traditional Jamaican crafts such as making calabash bowls or designing their own Jamaican drums using household materials. These creative activities open the door to discussions about the cultural significance of music, art, and food in Jamaica’s history and how these elements are tied to the struggles of our national heroes.

National Heroes Day Jamaica offers families the opportunity to reflect on Jamaica’s past, celebrate the present, and inspire future generations to honour the legacy of our national heroes. Through storytelling, cultural crafts, educational trips, and games, families can create lasting traditions that keep the spirit of our heroes alive.

This is the second part of our three-part series on National Heroes Day Jamaica. Be sure to join us for the final instalment, where we’ll explore Jamaica’s historic landmarks and how visiting these places can deepen your appreciation of our national heroes.

14/09/2025

The Kendal Rail Disaster site is to become a national heritage site.

The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, made the announcement at the unveiling yesterday of a monument erected in the memory of those who perished in the train crash at Kendal in Manchester, 68 years ago.

The monument which was unveiled by Minister Grange was the outcome of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry and the Manchester Municipal Corporation. The Municipal Corporation saw to the construction of the monument which was funded by the Ministry.

The monument lists the names of the people who died in the train crash which happened on the night of Sunday, September 1, 1957.

The train, operated by the Jamaica Railway Corporation, was on its way from Montego Bay to Kingston, when it separated from the tracks as it approached Kendal. Almost 200 people died and more than 700 of the 1,600 passengers maimed or disfigured.

Minister Grange said at the unveiling ceremony, “We will never forget those who died, were injured and scarred for life, those who survived, and a whole nation that mourned when dawn came the following day and news of the incident spread…May the memories of those who lost their lives in the Kendal crash never be forgotten.

During the last few years, the Government has declared September 1 as National Day of Remembrance of the Victims and Survivors of the Kendal Rail Disaster, established the monument and is moving now to have the location declared a national heritage site through the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.

“We created this Day of Remembrance because it was the right thing to do. It wasn’t right that we as a country did not come together to reflect and remember the people involved and affected by this great tragedy, said Minister Grange.

There are also plans to establish a park and museum at the site, through the Manchester Municipal Corporation.

“The idea is that people will visit the location and pay homage to those who suffered and died.”

Many of the victims and survivors of the Kendal Rail Disaster were members of the St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church. They had travelled by train for a pilgrimage to Montego Bay and were returning to Kingston when disaster struck.

12/09/2025

Kendal Train Crash Monument, Kendal Manchester Jamaica.

12/09/2025

Conserve, Preserve, Protect and Promote.

The Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Jamaica, has launched several new heritage and culture initiatives, such as the Port Royal Museum in Port Royal, the groundbreaking of the Jamaica Music Museum in Kingston, the unveiling of the monument to the Kendal train crash in Manchester, and has given an update on the work in progress for the Usain Bolt statue in Falmouth Trelawny.

17/08/2025

Haile to The Rt Excellent Marcus Garvey on this the 17th August 2025 which marks the 138 year of his birth.

“Let no voice but your own speak to you from the depths. Let no influence but your own raise you in time of peace and time of war. Hear all, but attend only that which concerns you.”
― Marcus Garvey: Ultimate Collection of Speeches and Poems

03/08/2025

EMANCIPATION DAY 2025.

On August 1, 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire, marking the beginning of emancipation for hundreds of thousands of African slaves and their descendants.

The enslavement of African people remains a despicable injustice in history, and its impacts reverberate across generations.
In Jamaica and across the world the day is being observed and celebrated.

In doing so, Jamaicans also commit themselves – as citizens and as a country – to build a stronger future where dignity and humanity for all are not aspirational ideals but enduring principles.”

(A group of children play by Redemption Song sculpture outside Emancipation Park, Kingston Jamaica)

History Department
Toronto, Canada.