The Independence Festival of Jamaica is a traditional holiday celebrated by the country with enthusiasm and pride. This kind of celebration represents an accomplishment of independence, unification of a region, and opportunity to convey creative, artistic talents representing their ethnicity. "In celebrations people often affirm the joyous outpouring of their spirit and the creative play of their imagination in a variety of the performing and decorative arts," (Dorson 1982:33). This celebration is also a carnival-type celebration due to its actions signifying playful agression, such as their street parades, dances, and performances (Dorson 1982:56). The Independence Festival of Jamaica shows that the "power of symbolic action and the continuing force of the festive spirit," (Dorson 1982:56) truly unites the country every year, and reiterates the importance of cultural history and its influence on their modern society. The Festival can be expressed as communitas, which is " ' a bond uniting people over and above any formal social bonds,' " (Turner 1982:205). The celebration liberates the identities of Jamaican's from conformity to general norms, so each individual interacts with on another concretely, not in context with social structure (Turner 1982:205).
When this festival was created in 1963, it was created to produce a national focus on the country's coming of Independence and the beauty of their culture. "All the ingredients of traditional Caribbean festival arts were incorporated by a Government anxious to provide unity and cultural focus for a new nation with a disparate social order," (Nunley et al 1988:188). Jamaica is known to follow the Caribbean pattern of obtaining a "tripartite racial division with socioeconomic correlates," (Alleyne 2002:193) which consist of " 'white' ", " 'brown' ", " 'black' " (Alleyne 2002:193). All different types of races have migrated and settled into Jamaica; these races consist of Africans, Indians, Chinese, Middle Easterners, and even some English. Each one of these races brings with them religious beliefs, core values, and culture behavior from their previous country into Jamaica. "Jamaican culture is constantly absorbing and refashioning," (Mordecai et al 2001:73) different types of cultural aspects from the citizens of the country. All these people join together to express their individualism and unity through the Festival. During the time of the celebration, there is no alienation or segregation amoung the society of Jamaicans, and the Festival is one way to prove that.
Jamaica's economics are integrated from all the diversity that has settled into the country. This integration brought about the organizations and groups that formed the Jamaican Festival as a holiday. The Festival is to remind this group of diverse people that they reside in an integrated society now, and the Festival allows them to relate to one another through music, dance, art, literature, drama, etc. This allows the people to identify with each other about the oppression, or hostile environment they all lived in before integration (Nunley et all 1988:189-190). The concentration of the country's culture is derived from the ceremonies and traditions of the country's ancestors (www.go-jamaica.com/festival2000/products.html).
The Independence Festival of Jamaica encourages its members of society to express their individuality. The development of the festival "opened the doors for young people around the country in all fields of creativity and given them a means of expression," (Tortello 2002:np). The Festival really challenges the people of Jamaica to really convey their independence with no fear, no hesitation, and no regret. The Independence Festival has been designed to emphasize to Jamaicans the sense of who they were, what their history was like, and what their culture is really all about (Tortello 2002:np). It brings about a familiarity between all the cultures that have now formed into one under these extraordinary circumstances (Dorson 1982:56). "The distinctions of each individual's previous status, sex, dress, and role vanish as the people start to share common traits and eat and sleep the same, and unity is achieved, a kind of generic bond outside the constraints of social structure," (Turner 1982:205). The message and motive of the Festival is to honor and recognize each individual citizen and their talent, and each citizen's talent is a representation of their previous culture, but also the unity of all the cultures.
The Jamaica Festival is an annual celebration that recognizes the diverse culture that was unified by the independence of the country. The Festival may be a reflection upon the separation from Britain, but it also stresses the importance of the people and that their behavior has made up the new and developed country. The name "Independence Jamaica Festival" can apply to both the political achievement and the personal achievement. Independence is stressed, but the unity of people's independence is a major component on how the Festival is performed. Citizens of Jamaia present their behavior through their talents in the arts and performances, and those talents are to celebrate the unity and sovereignty of Jamaica.