KINGSTON, Jamaica - It is estimated that there are as many Jamaicans living abroad as there are in Jamaica. This is because many people who are of Jamaican descent, but who have not themselves been to Jamaica, claim Jamaican identity.
This is undoubtedly a definite sign of the strength of the values, patterns of thought, and behaviour that are distinctly Jamaican. As such, people of Jamaican descent hold fast to their "Jamaicaness" because this unique culture is kept alive, regardless of what societies they live and work in.
Over the years, Jamaican patois has served as a crucially important medium to keep our culture alive, as the language is spoken by all Jamaicans, whether they also speak English as well or not. The global use of patois is constantly reinforced and spread by Jamaican popular music which, in all its forms -- folk, mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, and dancehall -- also preserves and spreads the fundamental tenets of our culture.