Programme France Caraïbe

Sortie de deux livres en français sur l'histoire et la culture jamaïcaine

« Histoire ancienne de l'Ile de la Jamaïque de 1494 à 1838 »

"The History of Jamaica from 1494 to 1838"

The Author:

Thibault Ehrengardt was born in France, in 1974. While attending the University of La Sorbonne, he launched an underground publication dedicated to reggae music, Natty Dread. After passing his DEA degree, he turned Natty Dread into a professional magazine, distributed nationwide. Thibault Ehrengardt has been travelling to Jamaica for ten years now and, being a keen reader of history books, he discovered that no History of Jamaica had been published in French since 1751*. His first book, The History of Jamaica From 1494 to 1838, is the result of two years of researches, reading and writing. It is the first part of a new series, Jamaica Insula ( www.jamaica-insula.com ), that will focus on the island. The second book is expected before the end of the year.

The Book:

The last History of Jamaica published in French is more than 250 year-old. It is the translation of a part of the work of Hans Sloane. At the time, Jamaica was of much interest to France because it was the direct neighboor and competitor of the French colony of Saint-Domingue (Haïti). And the competition was rough. Nowadays, the island has slipped back into the private historical ground of Great-Britain. This book was born out of many trips I made to Jamaica where History is surprisingly accessible for a European, much more accustomed to respectfuly enter protected sanctuaries than to part a bush to find out a forgotten piece of the past. This is what this book tries to recreate, this direct, almost brutal approach. That's why I gave priority to old sources (Sloane, Edward Long of course or Bryan Edwards), adding over 50 engravings taken from originals. There is a very active and impressive intellectual elite in Jamaica. Teachers and Professors regularly publish works of great value. This book does not intend to teach them what they already know but humbly claims to entertain them if they ever come across it. This book has no other ambition but to entertain the reader and to share with him my burning passion for this little island in the sun.

Alliance Française de la Jamaïque
12b Lilford Avenue off Lady Musgrave Road Kingston 10
Tel: (001-876) 978 69 96
Fax: (001-876) 978 18 36
Email: alliancefr.jm@gmail.com

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"Les origines du reggae: retour aux sources. Mento, ska, rocksteady, early reggae"

" The origins of reggae: back to the sources. Mento, ska, rocksteady, early reggae"

Presentation of the Author:
Jérémie Kroubo Dagnini is a PhD candidate at the University Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3 (France), doing research on the history of Jamaican popular music in the 20th century.
For more information, click on the link: www.myspace.com/jeremiekroubodagnini 

Presentation of the Book:
The book goes back over the origins of reggae, from Africa to Jamaica, from the era of slavery to the post-colonial period. In other words, it shows how the history of Jamaica (slavery, Evangelism, colonial and post-colonial politics, migration phenomena, urbanization, Americanization of Jamaican society...) has contributed to the development of Jamaican music. The author analyzes the socio-historico-cultural dynamics which resulted in the birth of reggae in the late 60's as well as the origins and evolutions of mento, ska and rocksteady, the main popular musical genres prior to reggae. The book contains rare and unpublished interviews and pictures of The Jolly Boys, Edward Seaga, Derrick Morgan, Toots, Alpha Boys' School, Johnny "Dizzy" Moore, Byron Lee, Prince Buster, The Kingstonians etc. The diversity within the book will delight all fans of Jamaican music/ culture.
For more information, click on the link:http://www.editions-harmattan.fr/index.asp?navig=catalogue&obj=livre&no=26984

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Alliance Française de la Jamaïque
12b Lilford Avenue off Lady Musgrave Road Kingston 10
Tel: (001-876) 978 69 96
Fax: (001-876) 978 18 36
Email: alliancefr.jm@gmail.com

by André