Born in 1967: What Jamaica Was Like Just Five Years After Independence
Discover what life was like in Jamaica in 1967, just five years after independence. A personal reflection on growing up in a young nation full of hope, reggae rhythms, and dreams of a better future. From the author of Life Lessons from Two Worlds.
Eric G. W. Jones
5/7/20261 min read
I came into the world in December 1967, in a Jamaica that was still young and finding its footing—only five years after gaining independence from Britain in 1962
The country was buzzing with the energy of nation-building. We now had our own flag, national anthem, and a fierce determination to chart our own course. At the same time, the United States was deeply entangled in the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and a rising counterculture that was challenging everything.
As a child, I didn’t fully understand the big political currents, but they were all around me. I heard adults talking about Michael Manley’s vision of social justice, celebrated when free education became available in 1973, and watched my mother’s joy at the Minimum Wage Act and Equal Pay Act of 1975.
I also remember the music. Reggae was just beginning to take shape, and politically charged songs like “Better Must Come” filled our home with rhythm and expectation. Even as a boy growing up in rural Manchester Parish, I could sense that Jamaica was awakening.
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