Jamaica is a natural muse. Our land gleams in Technicolor, as lofty Blue Mountains spill onto verdant plains, shimmering sands and turquoise seas. Our people are bold, brash and bubbly, hailing from around the globe to give a spectrum of skin tones, customs and traditions. Our rich history and culture provide a plethora of ideas, images and untold stories. Given all this, it's no wonder Jamaicans pulse with a creative energy that overflows into whatever we do. It's in the way we talk, walk, dance, dress and in the countless other nuances making up the fabric of our everyday lives. Our creativity, however, is perhaps most tangible in our visual art, which uses our country's inspirational palette to give a physical reflection of everything we are, have been and will be.

Jamaican paintings, sculpture and pottery are among the best in the Caribbean. What makes our art extraordinary is its diversity. Our artists work in a variety of styles, modes and forms, ranging from the academic to the self-taught or intuitive, the surrealist and symbolist to the impressionist and social-realist. Our artists also masterfully draw from, or blend, European, African and American influences. They've learnt from Europe's and America's classical and abstract forms, while mimicking the techniques, colours and symbols found in African art. All together, they've collected and merged these influences to create the extremely varied, unique Jamaican school.

Over the years, this relatively small country has produced a seemingly infinite number of outstanding artists. Some of our most famous are Edna Manley, renowned sculptor and painter; Albert Huie, our foremost landscape painter; Cecil Baugh, master potter; Kapo, the most prominent of our self-taught artists, and Alvin Marriot, realist sculptor. The list is impressive and endless, growing each day as new artistes burst onto the Jamaican art scene.

Fine works of art are omnipresent. Everywhere you turn - from traditional galleries and museums to surprisingly unconventional spots like roadside displays or inner city walls - you'll find pieces of note. Famous collections with soulful works like David Pottinger's paintings and William Joseph's wood sculptures, are often housed near to public displays such as Kay Sullivan's bronze figures honouring Sam Sharpe, and barbed-wire fences laden with amateur paintings for sale.

When visiting Jamaica, take a tour of our colourful art arena. Browse the numerous galleries, showcasing our most treasured pieces, or look out for the newest talents as you wander the streets. You too, may be, inspired.

On August 6, 1962, Jamaica became an independent nation. At the stroke of 12 that hot summer night, the Union Jack of Great Britain was lowered, and with much expectation, celebration and relief, the Jamaican people commemorated the rising of their own colours - black, green and gold - with dances, parades and religious ceremonies.

The road to independence was a long and arduous one. Since 1494 when Columbus arrived in the New World, Jamaica was governed as a colony; first by the Spanish, and then by the British. In the three centuries between the Europeans' arrival and our Independence Day, the island seemed, at many times, ungovernable. Successive colonial governments were constantly challenged; first by gold-hungry pirates, later by groups of self-liberated African warriors, and always by the defiant impoverished masses that vociferously (and sometimes violently) demonstrated their discontentment.

Today's political system is both the result and reflection of these challenges; our accession to democratic self-government follows steps taken in response to immediate social concerns, while the system itself mirrors the character of the Jamaican people, their priorities and aspirations. Jamaica today boasts one of the most stable and successful democracies in the region.

Our modern political system has its origins in the Garvey-inspired Black Nationalist movements of the early 1900s, and the trade union movements of the 1930s and 40s. The first political party in Jamaica (also the first in the Caribbean) was the People's National Party, (PNP), founded in 1938 by barrister, trade unionist and Jamaican National Hero, Norman Washington Manley. The PNP evolved as a political machine campaigning for universal adult suffrage and Jamaican self-government. It was created in the aftermath of the riots and civil unrest of the 1930s, when thousands of workers islandwide protested wages, living and working conditions. The party moved into representative politics in 1944 with the introduction of Universal Adult Suffrage and limited self-government through an elected legislature.

The Jamaica Labour Party, (JLP), emerged directly from the trade union movement. Formed by Jamaican National Hero, Sir Alexander Bustamante in 1944 as a spin-off of his worker-empowered Bustamante Industrial Trade Union, (BITU), the party was created to contest Jamaica's first general election, also held in 1944.

Since then, the two political parties have alternated in office, led by some of the most influential thinkers and leaders in the world. Deeply entrenched party loyalties characterize our politics, and every five years candidates contest tight elections as an impassioned electorate expresses its confidence in, or displeasure with, the status quo.

Jamaicans enjoy a wide range of civil liberties, afforded us by the very existence of our democratic political system. No democracy is static or guaranteed, but must be constantly nurtured. By participating in our own governance, we maintain and improve a system of which we can be proud. After all, our political legacy is an integral part of who we are, who we were and who future generations of Jamaicans will be.

There is a well-known adage asserting proudly that the heart of the Jamaican people has never ceased to dance. It's true - dancing is an integral part of everyday Jamaican life. We dance everywhere and for all occasions - for worship, cultural celebrations, formal events and social gatherings. Once there's music, hips gyrate, hands start to clap while round buttocks roll, and everyone - old and young alike - finds himself or herself moving to the infectious rhythmic beat.

Shaped by a mixture of European and African influences, Jamaican dance forms have evolved. From the 'jonkonnu' steps practiced by slaves at Christmas time, to the post-Emancipation 'bruckins', the liberating 'ska' of a newly independent nation to the vibrant, sometimes challenging choreography of the dancehall - our heritage in dance reflects the evolution of our cultural identity.

We have 'Jamaicanized' traditional European dances, such as maypole and quadrille, performing them to the sounds of our homegrown 'mento' music. Similarly, dances such as the 'gerreh', the 'dinki-mini' and 'ettu' reflect our African heritage, but are also satirical commentaries of plantation life. These dances form the backbone of modern Jamaican dance forms.

Today, our people use everything - comedy, tragedy, or social and political scenarios at home and abroad, to create new dance moves. Some of the more recent dances include the butterfly, log-on, Jerry Springer, Steve Urkel and the talaban. Jamaicans and visitors alike are barely able to keep track of the many new dances that surface at a rapid pace. Local clubs and HQs, reverberating with pounding beats of dancehall music, are breeding grounds for new dance moves. You can bet that almost every month there will be a new style, with an equally amusing name to learn, no less exciting, entertaining or exhilarating than the previous.

From the dancehall to the stage, hip street styles give way to elaborate contortions and clever choreography. The Edna Manley School of Dance, the National Dance Theatre Company and other recognized groups also keep Jamaica's dance tradition alive with regular shows. The themes of these performances sometimes explore the issues facing the nation, or reflect the artistic expressions of the performers with well-rehearsed and synchronized formations. These Jamaican ensembles have received both local and international acclaim, exposing our dance forms to our people and the world.

Dancing is a vital part of the Jamaican lifestyle. Whether as a means of enjoyment, entertainment or expression, the ability to move the body freely is essential to our identity as a people. As effortlessly as we breathe, so do we dance.spinning, twisting, shaking. To experience Jamaica is to dance with us. Leave your inhibitions and let the music set you free. May we have this dance?

Our cuisine is as diverse as our people, as unique as our island. If there's one thing that Jamaican people love it's a "likkle bickle". We enjoy our food, and for good reason too. Here in Jamaica, Mother Nature has blessed us with fertile ground and a near perfect tropical climate. For instance, we have so many varieties of mangoes that we have run out of names and have simply started to number them. Somehow, everything that grows in Jamaica seems just a little sweeter, just a little more flavourful. Maybe it's the sun. Maybe it's the touch of love we put into planting, reaping and cooking.

There's a lot that goes into Jamaican cuisine. Our people arrived from all corners of the globe, bearing favourite ingredients. But on a small island, nothing stays the same for long, and necessity dictates that everything be modified - creatively, flavourfully, and with a little bit of life in every bite. We use cassava from our native Arawaks, pickled meats and fish brought by the Europeans, yams and bananas brought by the Africans and curry by the East Indians. Put it all together, add some more spice, and what do you get? Jamaican cuisine.

Although many quality gourmet and fusion restaurants around the world use our famous Jerk sauce and serve our highly acclaimed Blue Mountain Coffee, most things taste better when they are made here. At Boston, the heavily pimento-spiced Jerk leaves a lasting tingle, while Middle Quarters' pepper shrimps heats the senses with a passionate intensity. Miss May from Hellshire challenges anyone, even the Spanish, to Escovietch fish better than she does. In addition to tasting better, there are some dishes available only on the island. Good luck trying to find Cow Foot Stew or Goat Head Soup anywhere but in a Jamaican kitchen.

So whether you prefer gourmet cuisine or Grandma's cooking, here on our island, you'll be sure to learn something new, taste something different, and leave full and happy.

Try your hand at some of these Jamaican favourites

In Jamaica, smiles beam from faces in hues ranging from rich coffee to condensed milk-sweetened cocoa. These warm faces bear physical features that are seldom duplicated. There are small noses, proud noses, strong chins, blue eyes and dark ones too, full lips, fine mouths, corkscrew curls and unruly locks. To appreciate these shapes and shades and to understand our rich history and heritage is to think on a global scale. Nearly every race is represented here - African, English, Spanish, Irish, Scottish, Indian, Chinese, German, and Syrian. They came - to conquer, colonize, unwillingly or in search of a better life, settling over time to call this island home. They've jumbled and fused, creating the most extraordinary racial and cultural medley, the Jamaican people.

Handshakes, hugs and hearty hellos, Jamaicans are naturally warm, friendly and entertaining. Often our humour cannot be contained by simple smiles and breaks loose into contagious bouts of laughter and gesticulation. We seldom cry, choosing to laugh instead at whatever comes our way. Reggae pulses through our veins, giving us an innate internal rhythm that fuels our abounding energy and creativity. Our complex past, marked by slavery and the struggle for independence, has made us proud, resilient and strong. We refuse to be restrained, choosing instead to break the boundaries of our small island, gaining worldwide recognition in areas like music and sports. A bobsled team from a tropical island is typical of our enthusiastic spirit.

Jamaicans, although soft-hearted, are sometimes not tactful or overly sensitive, and very often, not politically correct. We always say it like it is. Don't be offended if on the streets you are called - Browning, Redman, Coolie, Whitey, Blacka, or Miss Chin. It's the way we acknowledge and make light of our diverse racial heritage.

African and European influences dominate our people. There is Africa everywhere - in the faces of nine out of ten Jamaicans, in our language, food, craft, religions and customs. Europe is here too. The Spanish, English, Irish, Germans and Scots have all left their mark. You'll see it in our place names, legal, educational and governmental systems, language, architecture and religion. The Chinese, Indians, Lebanese, Syrians and Jewish have pieces of their homelands here as well. They fuel our entrepreneurial spirit while the aromas and flavours of these Eastern cultures waft in our food.

With this eclectic mix, stories of Chinese Scotsmen and Indian Africans are not uncommon in Jamaica. We have transformed the ways, traditions and customs of our foreign ancestors into something so special it could only be Jamaican. We've mixed and mingled, breaking down barriers, to become one people out of many, living one love.

Thumping, infectious and passionate sounds are the trademarks of Reggae, Jamaica's most internationally recognized music and the heartbeat of our people. Everywhere you turn, hypnotic beats blare from car stereos or black boom boxes stacked high at nightclubs and street corners. Although this is Jamaica's music, its origins are in the villages of Africa where our forefathers mourned the passing of an ancestor, heralded the birth of a son or celebrated the end of a harvest with song and dance.

Jamaica's traditional music is rich - heavy with the substance of our collective experiences, struggles for personal freedom and independent nationhood. Music has been a tool for rebellion and for communication with each other, nature and the Divine. It also provides a lyrical voice for our social and political commentary. The fusion of our African and European heritage has produced several forms of music that still thrive in many modern communities.

These folk forms fall into three main groups - tunes for work and entertainment, religious melodies, and dance music. Each group has its own harmony, but all share a commonality in the types of accompaniments used, primarily the drum and small wind and string instruments.

Folk music remains one of the most influential aspects of our heritage. Its beat shakes social barriers and unifies our nation with its intensity and ingenuity. Its power to heal, inspire and incite makes it an essential part of the Jamaican identity.