Jamaican People “Wi just run tings”
The island’s population is ethnically diverse, according to the University of the West Indies, Jamaica’s ethnic
make-up consists of 76.3 per cent of people of African descent, 15.1 per cent Afro-European, 3.4 per cent
East Indian and Afro-East-Indian, 3.2 per cent Caucasian, 1.2 per cent Chinese.
More or less twice as many Jamaicans live outside Jamaica than reside in their native land. The official count
is 2.7 million residents on the island, and it is estimated the Jamaican Diaspora is estimated to be between 3
million and 5 million people. These are immigrants or descendants of immigrants, living mainly in Canada,
the United States and the United Kingdom, but also, in increasing numbers, in other parts of Europe and in
Africa.
The official language spoken here is English, though we primarily speak the Creole language, which is an
English-African language. This language we call the Jamaican Patois, pronounced “patwa.” Jamaican Patois
has become a worldwide recognized language through our reggae music.
22. In the year 1998 Jamaica’s (Reggae Boyz)
became the first English speaking team from the
Caribbean to qualify for t