Road works threaten Rastafari village in St. JamesCEFR B1
16 Aug 2025
Adapted from Emma Lewis, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Kemoi Brown, Unsplash
The author first wrote about the Rastafari Indigenous Village for a Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) website in 2017. JSIF was founded in 1996 to support small community projects. The village opened in 2014 with initial funding from the World Bank and land provided by the Nelson family. World Bank officials visited in 2016. The site offered bamboo buildings, herb gardens, a nearby river, and regular tours including ital cooking, drumming and river walks. It ranked number 47 of 360 things to do in Jamaica on TripAdvisor and was popular with visitors.
By 2025 the village has been affected by construction of a bypass. Heavy machinery and workers from the China Harbour Engineering Company are present. The road project has caused deforestation, changed land contours, and sent runoff, rubble and damaged drains toward the village and into the Montego River. Residents report poor air quality, constant noise and difficult access.
Some of the new road will become a toll road, and promotional videos on YouTube describe the work as "the NEW Jamaica!" Community members call the situation their "Time of Trial" and describe a loss of cultural practices. An online consultation included a long presentation and a short Q&A in which many concerns went unanswered. The author recommended ratifying the Escazú Agreement to improve public participation.
Difficult words
- indigenous — original people of a place or region
- funding — money provided to pay for a projectinitial funding
- deforestation — loss of trees and forested land
- runoff — water that flows from land after rain
- rubble — broken stones and waste from buildings
- consultation — formal meeting to ask for public views
- toll road — a road where drivers pay a fee
- ratify — to make an agreement officially validratifying
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How do you think the new road has changed daily life for village residents? Give two reasons.
- What could local groups do to protect cultural practices during construction projects?
- Do you think developers should pay for damage to communities and the environment? Why or why not?
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