Land of Wood, but Jamaicans Cant Access Their Sea Water
How residents of Bob Marley Beach are being asked to leave due to the increasing privatisation of Jamaican beaches.
Bob Marley Beach, St Thomas
The crystal blue waters breaking at shore, the feeling of the sun warming your body, and suddenly being cooled down when diving into the water is a cherished feeling for an islander. The tranquillity and stillness of being at the beach breaks all qualms within themselves and society; for some, this is a way for them to rejuvenate. The beach, being so easily accessible by distance, holds such a beautiful luxury for recreation, dietary and economic needs. However, this accessibility is only a figment of our imagination as it was never available to Jamaicans.
Under Section 3(4) of the Beach Control Act (BCA) of 1956, it states,
Jamaican citizens have no fundamental rights to accessing beaches on the island. Not only was this Act built to restrict and exclude the public, but it also favours those with the money to own a beachfront property or stay in a hotel. Coincidentally, most people in this demographic also fall under a particular race category.
All beach land is owned by “The Crown” (King Charles III) unless it is “acquired under or by virtue of the Registration of Titles Act”. Therefore, the beach is only deemed open to the public by the person who gained ownership of the beach land. Otherwise, no beach is inherently accessible to Jamaican citizens.
When the law was written in 1956, Jamaica was not an independent nation but under colonial rule. All the properties on the foreshore were owned by rich white people. They gave themselves that entitlement while the masses of the country don’t.
-DR DEVON TAYLOR
The colonial rule has left a stain on the Jamaican Government. It has particularly affected the decision-making, allowing Jamaican citizens’ inherited birthright to be used as a commodity for trade with foreign investors for money under the guise of “bringing more jobs for Jamaicans”.
Bob Marley Beach is the next victim to the Government’s greediness, as it was sold to Woof Group in 2019 to build a $200 million beachfront Regis Hotel on the land, although families are occupying it. The plan follows suit as the Government announced that St Thomas was set to “benefit from a nearly 1 billion US dollar Tourism Development Programme.”
The beach is on the south-eastern coast, in St Thomas. This beach has grown in popularity in recent years because of its proximity to Kingston, approximately 25-minutes away, and has a deep-rooted history in the Rastafarian culture in Jamaica. It is also one of Jamaica’s last beaches, which the public can access with no fee or privatisation from hotels or beachfront properties.
Beachgoers enjoying Bob Marley Beach
Two families occupy the beach and have lived there for over 50 years: The Thomas’s and The Stephenson’s. They are both at risk of losing their homes due to the Government’s negligence and are in court to regain their land.
Camala Thomas, one of the residents of Bob Marley Beach, spoke to me, stating, “I’ve lived here all my life. I live in the space, and I also earn my living here”. Thomas owns and is a chef at Sugarloaf Beach Vibes Restaurant on the beach.
It is a tumultuous situation to threaten your home, but having your source of income and your livelihood on the line is a horrendous cumulation of events for a family.
Her parents moved to the area when her father was 16 and her mother was 15.
“When they came, they had nothing, not even a tarpaulin.”
Camala’s family, the Stephenson’s, and the Rastafarian community have devoted years to maintaining the beach.
“You know, so we’re coming from nothing, and to see, we have taken care of this space and are keeping care so people can come, find out about the place, and enjoy.”
Not only is Camala at risk of losing all she knows, but she also acknowledges that Jamaica would be losing a piece of history. The space is historic to Rastafarianism, as many Rastas fled to Bull Bay and Bob Marley Beach from Inner City Kingston in the 1940s for refuge after facing persecution.
Members of Jah LLoyd’s Orthodox Movement of Rastafari, beating the drums in Bull Bay at one of the largest ever Nyabingi ever to be held in Jamaica. Photograph by LinkupLindsay
“Rastas had to flee from dem place deh, come out here, find refuge and form the first Nyabinghi Centre. The first priest was here, right on this sand, and after that, I think in the 1960s, His Majesty came here because of Bingy, how the Rasta assemble, you know.”
“So, there’s a lot of things going on in this little space. We want to be here so we can share this bit of history with Jamaica because they are always curious. Bob Marley used to live across the scheme from here. He used to come down with his family and purchase fish. He played football and went back home.”
Camala wishes the Government would invest time in turning the beach into protected land. “I think this place that needs more development, you know and have it as a destination site. They come and learn about Rastafarianism.”
The late singer used the beach as a spiritual haven, so it was dubbed “Bob Marley Beach”.
Bob Marley Movie is coming out February 14, 2024. They shot scenes at Bob Marley Beach with Camala and her family. IMDb
“I think this place that needs more development, you know and have it as a destination site where they come and learn about Rastafarianism.”
The Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JABBEM) is at the forefront of this conflict, assisting with court cases and public protests to show grievances against the Government.
Dr Devon Taylor, President of JABBEM, founded the movement in 2022 in response to beach access loss in Jamaica and push back against the colonial-era law that allows the government and private interests to shut down beach access.
He voices, “I asked the question, how is this possible? Jamaica is an island. How could it be that for 50 years, I’ve been using a beach, and then I suddenly can’t use it anymore”?
Dr Devon Taylor; The Voice Jamaica
After many warnings from police, politicians, and the developer, saying the property would be pushed down, Taylor, alongside Dr Marcus Goff, a lawyer, assisted in bringing forth an injunction in the Supreme Court against the Woof Group and Commissioners of Land to stop any proceedings of development at the beach and protects the families living there.
“There was a ruling by the judge that said the injunction can be moved and the developer can proceed with their action, but we filed an appeal that it can be re-examined at a higher level in the judicial system”.
Taylor says, “The Prime Minister is the head of (BCA), and it gives him excessive power. He can tomorrow morning determine that everybody can access this beach, and that’s the law of the land.”
He emphasises that “the fundamental objective is to see Jamaicans have an unfettered right of access, but that will require the removal of this act, which requires a legislative solution.”
“Jamaicans need to express openly their disgust with our political leaders that this needs to change. They need to become politically involved”.
Jamaican Flag at Bob Marley Beach
Taylor also urges tourists to assist in the fight by boycotting the resorts that “do not allow Jamaicans to traverse those lands and get to the beaches.” As the entities know, money suppresses people; we must “take money away from them.”
Like Bob, many other beaches are being closed to the public. JABBEM is currently in court with Urban Development Corporation over access to Little Dunn’s River in St. Ann and is asking for it to be reopened and not be privatised.
Jamaica is not free, free only within certain contexts, because the laws imposed on us from colonial rule still loom over the island, restricting our rights to our natural resources and freedom, which is a birthright.
Did you notice that there were no Jamaicans on the beach? You go to a 96% black country, and you don’t see us on the beach. Do you not think that’s a problem? If you go to a country that is predominantly white and when you go there, you only see black people enjoying the beaches; I think your good sense will come alive to say that there is something wrong here. So do not be complicit in discrimination.
-DR DEVON TAYLOR
https://www.change.org/p/protect-beach-access-for-all-jamaicans-keep-bob-marley-beach-public: This is a link to the petition to fight for beach access rights in Jamaica.
