The Committee
- Takes note that Jamaica has nominated Pilgrimage to Watt Town (No. 02137) for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:
The Revival Pilgrimage to the community of Watt Town in Jamaica occurs every year on the first Thursday in March. Watt Town is considered a sacred site, which was once a refuge for enslaved Africans. Groups, called bands, journey from across Jamaica to the sacred site. The bands engage in ritual songs and dances, wearing clothing with vibrant colours and rich iconography. In the early morning, they travel by bus and car to the steep hill that houses the Jerusalem Schoolroom (a space used to communicate with spirits), where they use the messaging in emblems, called seals, to carry out certain tasks or functions. Moving counterclockwise around the seals, they carry gifts in the form of fruits, flowers, medicinal plants and food to honour their ancestors. In return, they receive blessings that fulfil their spiritual needs. The knowledge and skills related to the pilgrimage are transmitted through community-based events, including band meetings, Thanksgiving tables, healing rituals, wakes and civic ceremonies. Students, teachers and researchers also observe the activities. Practised primarily by Jamaicans of African descent, the pilgrimage is a journey for people in search of their ancestral identity. The specific colours, musical instruments, plants, food, dress and local songs featured contribute to the preservation of Jamaican cultural memory.
- Considers that, from the information included in the file, the nomination satisfies the following criteria for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:
R.1: The Revival Pilgrimage occurs once a year in March at Watt Town in Jamaica. It is a spiritual event where bands engage in ritual songs and dances. The bearers and practitioners are mainly African-Jamaicans who are located across the island and throughout the diaspora. The knowledge and skills related to the element are transmitted from one generation to another through community-based events, band meetings and healing rituals. Formal methods of transmission take place through education institutions, academic research, exhibitions and performances. The element brings people together each year and promotes social cohesion, ancestral identity and physical and spiritual healing. The element also preserves the cultural memory of the Jamaican people.
R.2: The element contributes to food security, health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, and peace and social cohesion. The practice of spiritual and physical healing with medicinal herbs found on site and brought by pilgrims is a sacred ritual among the Revival bands. The theme of ‘peace and love’ is embodied by the bands. The pilgrimage is also a homecoming ritual, where bands meet to reunite and exchange gifts. In so doing, they strengthen community and familial bonds. Roles and responsibilities among bands are not gender specific; the inclusive groups encourage participation and ensure equal access to leadership opportunities for both male and female members. Although the file adequately explains the link between the element and the above-mentioned aspects of sustainable development, it does not clearly explain how the element contributes to food security.
R.3: The State Party has employed a series of safeguarding measures developed with the active participation of the community to protect and promote the element. These include the annual presentation of the element as a topic in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Religious Education syllabus. In 2017, the Revival Community also instituted the annual Revival Time Music Festival, which showcases the music, uniforms, songs and rituals associated with the element to a large audience during Jamaica’s National Heritage Week in October. An initiative to document the oral testimonies and songs of Revival practitioners and community members began with the Institute of Folk Culture in the 1950s, and continues with the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank, which was created in 1972. The role of the community in developing and implementing the proposed safeguarding measures is explained in the file.
R.4: In 2019, the community members approached the Ministry of Culture to initiate discussions and submit a request for the nomination of the element to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The request was formalized through the mechanism of the National Technical Working Group on Intangible Cultural Heritage, which included members of the Revival bands and launched a series of island-wide consultations to include the wider public in the nomination. Virtual and in-person meetings were carried out with community members for the elaboration of the nomination file. The nomination file and related documentation were reviewed and amended by Revivalists to ensure that safeguarding plans were reflective of their practices and in keeping with community guidelines. Various handwritten letters were submitted to demonstrate the consent and support for the nomination by the communities.
R.5: The element is listed in the automated catalogue of the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank, which is the focal point for intangible cultural heritage in Jamaica. The Inventory is reviewed every two years and was last updated in 2021. The process of inventorying and community involvement is provided in the State’s periodic report submitted in 2021.
- Decides to inscribe Pilgrimage to Watt Town on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity;
- Commends the State Party for nominating an element that highlights the link between living heritage and cultural spaces.