The Montegonian

The Montegonian The Montegonian... Western Jamaican Media! The Montegonian began as the column of Yannick Nesta Pessoa but is evolving into so much more...

✈️ **Headline Spotlight:** *The Daily Cleaner* 📰 **37 KILLED IN AIRLINER CRASH AT MOBAY** 🔥 **Blazing Constellation ex...
23/07/2025

✈️ **Headline Spotlight:** *The Daily Cleaner*
📰 **37 KILLED IN AIRLINER CRASH AT MOBAY**
🔥 **Blazing Constellation explodes**

# # # Historical Context
This haunting front page documents **Cubana de Aviación Flight 441** – Jamaica’s deadliest air disaster at the time. On **September 20, 1955**, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation (registration CU-T188) en route from Santiago de Cuba to Miami crashed moments after takeoff near Montego Bay ("MoBay"). All 37 passengers and crew perished.

**Key Details:**
- ✈️ **Aircraft:** The Lockheed L-749A Constellation, a pioneering "propliner" with a distinctive triple-tail design, was a workhorse of 1950s aviation.
- 🔍 **Cause:** Witnesses reported an engine fire shortly after departure. The blaze caused catastrophic failure, leading to an uncontrolled descent into swampy terrain near the runway .
- 🛠️ **Legacy:** The crash exposed risks in piston-engine aircraft maintenance. It spurred stricter protocols for pre-flight checks and emergency training, influencing Caribbean aviation safety standards .

**Why This Matters:**
The Constellation symbolized post-WWII aviation progress, yet its vulnerabilities – like flammable engine systems – were starkly revealed. For Jamaica, this tragedy underscored the perils of early commercial air travel in the region. The "MoBay" nickname in the headline reflects local vernacular, emphasizing the disaster’s community impact.

# # # Hashtags


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For deeper research:
- [Cubana Flight 441 records](https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19550920-0) (Aviation Safety Network)
- [Lockheed Constellation technical specs](https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/history/constellation.html) (Lockheed Martin Archives)

*Step back in time to Jamaica's storied north coast! 📸**This captivating lantern slide (circa 1875-1940) shows **Rosehal...
07/07/2025

*Step back in time to Jamaica's storied north coast! 📸**

This captivating lantern slide (circa 1875-1940) shows **Rosehall Great House** near Montego Bay. Built in the 1770s, this grand Georgian mansion sits commandingly on a hillside, famous for its panoramic coastal views. While it's a popular museum today (restored in the 1960s), this image captures it decades earlier.

**But the story behind this photo is equally intriguing:** It's part of a collection from the **Church of Scotland Foreign Missions Committee**. Scottish missionaries have a deep history in Jamaica:

* **1800:** The Scottish Missionary Society sent 3 missionaries. Tragically, two succumbed to yellow fever within weeks, but the third became a pioneer.
* **1824:** A second group arrived, invited by local planters to instruct the enslaved population.
* By **1836,** their work led to the formation of the *first presbytery of the Jamaican Church* right in Montego Bay.

This very slide was used by those Scottish missionaries, likely to share stories of their work back home. It's a tangible link to a complex chapter of religious, colonial, and Jamaican history.

**Photo:** Unknown Photographer
**Source:** International Mission Photography Archive, Centre for the Study of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh (Filename: imp-cswc-GB-237-CSWC47-LS11-019.tif).

02/07/2025

: A former exotic dancer is now urging women to seek safer and more sustainable ways to earn a living instead of turning to stripping for quick cash.

READ MORE: https://tinyurl.com/4xm37zjv

# # # 🎨 **WESTGATE’S WHISPERING WOOD: Where Art, Rebellion, and Montego Bay Converge** *Unveiling the hidden history i...
02/07/2025

# # # 🎨 **WESTGATE’S WHISPERING WOOD: Where Art, Rebellion, and Montego Bay Converge**
*Unveiling the hidden history in a shopping centre’s fretwork...*

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# # # 🔥 **The Fretwork: A Revolution Carved in Wood**
This striking architectural detail—**"Samuel Sharpe Rebellion"**—once adorned Montego Bay’s Westgate Shopping Centre. Crafted in the 1980s by sculptor **Will Robson** and designer **Margaret Robson** with their **Magic Toy Crew**, these triangular panels (reaching 14m wide!) depicted:
- **The rebellion’s chaos**: Enslaved Jamaicans burning sugar estates .
- **The "good life after"**: Freedom symbolized by sunlit sugarcane fields and soaring birds .
- **Adinkra symbols**: West African motifs woven into the design, affirming cultural resilience .

Commissioned by architect **Cosmo Whyte**, the work transformed the mall into a public history book—where shoppers walked through scenes of Jamaica’s fight for liberation .

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# # # ⚖️ **Why Samuel Sharpe? Montego Bay’s Unyielding Legacy**
Sharpe’s 1831 Christmas Rebellion ignited in *MoBay*, making the city ground zero for emancipation:
- **Kensington Estate**: Rebels seized this plantation, mobilizing 60,000 enslaved people .
- **The Courthouse Connection**: Sharpe was tried at MoBay’s courthouse (now the **Cultural Centre**), where his death sentence accelerated slavery’s abolition by 1834 .
The fretwork honored this locally rooted courage—a "sacred geography" in a modern space.

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# # # ✊ **Cosmo Whyte: Architect of Memory**
Years before his acclaimed global installations (e.g., Havana Biennial, Prospect New Orleans), Whyte embedded **Jamaican resistance** into commercial architecture. His vision:
> *"Public art as protest, commerce as consciousness."*
By collaborating with Robson’s team—trained artisans from Walderston—he centered community voices in storytelling .

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# # # ⚒️ **The Magic Toy Crew: Unsung Heroes**
Led by UK-born, Jamaica-based **Will Robson**, this collective fused:
- **Traditional fretwork**: A Caribbean vernacular form.
- **Revolutionary iconography**: Sharpe’s uprising as moral triumph.
- **Toy-making whimsy**: Their prior craft (award-winning puzzles!) lent playful precision to political art .

Their work declared: *"Freedom is the ultimate craft."*

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# # # 🌪️ **Epilogue: Hurricane Gilbert & Resilience**
The fretwork was born of natural disaster. In 1988, **Hurricane Gilbert** shattered Westgate—twisting zinc roofs, toppling walls. Yet photos of its ruins (like Shopper’s Fairs Supermarket) became symbols:
> *"Buildings fall. Stories don’t."*
The panels’ legacy revived that part of the city for almost two decades or more and lives in MoBay’s soul—where Sam Sharpe’s fire still lights the way 🇯🇲.

🏬 **WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTRE: Where Architecture Met Hurricane Gilbert’s Fury** *Unpacking the story behind a Montego B...
02/07/2025

🏬 **WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTRE: Where Architecture Met Hurricane Gilbert’s Fury**
*Unpacking the story behind a Montego Bay landmark’s darkest day—and its cultural roots.*

# # # 🔍 The Photo
This haunting image captures **Shopper’s Fairs Supermarket** at Westgate Shopping Centre in ruins after **Hurricane Gilbert** ravaged Montego Bay on September 12, 1988. Piles of zinc roofing lie twisted like paper—a testament to the storm’s 185 mph winds .

# # # ⚡ Gilbert’s Wrath
- **Deadliest Storm in Modern Jamaican History**: Gilbert struck as a Category 5 hurricane, leaving 45 dead, 80% of homes unroofed, and $700M+ in damages .
- **Economic Devastation**: Jamaica lost $2.1B JMD in agriculture—banana fields wiped out, tourism halted, and widespread looting .
- **Human Stories**: Stranded tourists at Sangster Airport praised Jamaicans who "took care of guests before their own families" .

# # # 🏛️ Westgate’s Hidden Legacy
Beyond a shopping hub, Westgate was a **canvas of resistance**:
- Its iconic fretwork (wooden gables) depicted the **1831 Sam Sharpe Rebellion**—where enslaved Jamaicans burned sugar estates demanding freedom .
- Designed by architect **Cosmo Whyte** and artisans **Will & Margaret Robson**, the structure wove Adinkra symbols into its facade, honoring African-Jamaican identity .
- A cultural landmark: Its ruins embodied both colonial trade history (*Montego Bay* = Spanish "manteca"/lard port ) and post-independence resilience.

# # # 🌊 Why This Matters
Gilbert exposed Jamaica’s vulnerabilities but also its spirit:
- **Rebirth**: Westgate was rebuilt, yet this photo reminds us how hurricanes reshape landscapes and economies.
- **Symbolism**: Just as Sharpe’s rebellion fueled emancipation, Gilbert’s aftermath spurred disaster preparedness reforms.
- **Question for Elders**: If you recall Westgate pre-1988, share your memories below. How should we memorialize its stories?

> *"They asked if we’d return to Jamaica. We will—but never in September."*
> —U.S. tourist after surviving Gilbert



*📸: De Geo (CC BY-SA 4.0) | 🌐 Sources: UWI Disaster Archives, Sankofa Archives, NHC*

🌊 **"DAY-O! The Backbone of Jamaica’s Golden Age: Banana Porters of Montego Bay, Early 1900s** 🌊 This powerful image ca...
01/07/2025

🌊 **"DAY-O! The Backbone of Jamaica’s Golden Age: Banana Porters of Montego Bay, Early 1900s** 🌊

This powerful image captures more than just commerce—it reveals the grit and grace that built modern Jamaica. Groups of men and women balance towering bunches of Gros Michel bananas on their heads at Montego Bay’s harbor, loading "lighters" (small cargo boats) bound for transatlantic ships. Their labor fueled an economic revolution.

⚓ **Why Montego Bay?**
• **From "Manteca" to Bananas**: Spanish colonizers once named the bay *Bahía de Manteca* (Lard Bay) for its pork fat exports . Under British rule, it became a sugar powerhouse—until Emancipation (1838) shifted power to small farmers. Bananas, unlike sugar, required less land and offered independence from plantations .
• **The "Ni**er Business" Revolution**: After slavery, Black Jamaicans turned to bananas as a symbol of autonomy. Plantation elites initially scorned the trade, but by 1900, bananas dwarfed sugar exports, covering 82,435 acres nationwide .

👷 **The Human Engine**
• **Head-Load Heroes**: These porters carried 60–80 lb bunches for miles, often at night to avoid ripening. Their iconic posture—one hand steadying the load, the other poised for balance—required immense skill. Women, though paid half the wages of men, were pillars of this workforce .
• **Race Against Time**: Bananas spoiled fast. Workers had 48 hours to harvest, transport, and load fruit onto United Fruit Company steamers headed for Boston or London .

🍌 **The Banana Boom & Bust**
• **Global Giant**: Lorenzo Dow Baker’s Boston Fruit Company (later United Fruit) monopolized exports. By 1902, corporations controlled 25% of Jamaica’s banana lands .
• **Resistance Roots**: Farmers fought back! In 1929, they formed the **Jamaica Banana Producers’ Association**—the first farmer-owned shipping line in history—to bypass corporate exploitation .
• **Legacy in Song**: The backbreaking night shifts inspired *Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)*, popularized by Harry Belafonte. "*Daylight come and me wan’ go home*" echoed their exhaustion and hope .

💔 **Why It Faded**
Panama Disease wiped out Gros Michel crops in the 1950s; hurricanes like Gilbert (1988) and free-trade policies later crushed small farms. Today, tourism dominates Montego Bay—but Sam Sharpe Square still honors the 1831 slave revolt leader who dared demand justice .

Like this post? Tag someone who should know this history! ⤵️



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**Title:** Market Street, Montego Bay, Jamaica (1964) **Photographer:** Boy Lawson **Source:** Collection NMvWereldcul...
01/07/2025

**Title:** Market Street, Montego Bay, Jamaica (1964)
**Photographer:** Boy Lawson
**Source:** Collection NMvWereldculturen, TM-20015853

This 1964 photograph by Boy Lawson captures the vibrant pulse of Market Street in Montego Bay during a transformative era in Jamaica's history. Taken just two years after Jamaica gained full independence from Britain (August 6, 1962) , the scene reflects both continuity and change. British colonial influence lingered in administrative systems and infrastructure, yet a distinct Jamaican identity was emerging. The street’s bustling commerce—with vendors, shoppers, and classic mid-century automobiles—illustrates Montego Bay’s growing role in tourism and trade, sectors prioritized by the post-independence government to fuel economic growth .

Notably, this period saw Jamaica forging its international identity: the country joined the Organization of American States in 1969 and strengthened ties with African nations . Domestically, 1964 marked the declaration of Marcus Garvey as a national hero , reinforcing cultural pride visible in the everyday resilience of Market Street’s community. The image also hints at socioeconomic tensions; while tourism investments expanded, urban disaffection simmered due to unemployment and political strife, foreshadowing the West Kingston state of emergency in 1967 .

Lawson’s composition immortalizes a Jamaica balancing tradition and transition—a nation building its future amid the rhythms of daily life.

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Step Back in Time: The Jamaican 'Buggy' and Montego Bay’s Early 20th Century TransportThis photograph captures a Jamaica...
30/06/2025

Step Back in Time: The Jamaican 'Buggy' and Montego Bay’s Early 20th Century Transport

This photograph captures a Jamaican *buggy*—a horse-drawn carriage—parked outside a stone house in early 20th-century Montego Bay. These lightweight carriages were a lifeline for missionaries, merchants, and elites navigating the steep hills and rugged terrain of Jamaica’s north coast. Designed for efficiency, they could traverse paths where heavier wagons faltered, yet missionary records reveal their peril: overturned carriages and fatal accidents were not uncommon on Jamaica’s uneven roads .

Montego Bay, then a bustling hub for sugar and banana exports, relied on such carriages long before cars dominated the streets. By the 1890s, the town was a study in contrasts: horse-drawn buggies clattered past stone warehouses filled with coffee and rum, while the first whispers of ‘horseless carriages’ (motor cars) reached Jamaica via newspapers like the Daily Gleaner. The railway—extended to Montego Bay in 1895—connected the port to Kingston, but local transport remained stubbornly equestrian for decades .

This buggy, likely owned by a missionary or colonial official, symbolizes an era when MoBay’s identity was shaped by plantation wealth, missionary work, and the slow march of progress. By the 1920s, cars began replacing these carriages, but their legacy endures in the JUTA tourist coaches—modern heirs to Jamaica’s tradition of road-bound adventure .

Devastation at Westgate: Hurricane Gilbert’s Wrath and Scotiabank’s Resilience in Montego Bay, Jamaica (September 14, 19...
30/06/2025

Devastation at Westgate: Hurricane Gilbert’s Wrath and Scotiabank’s Resilience in Montego Bay, Jamaica (September 14, 1988)

This image captures the aftermath of Hurricane Gilbert, one of the most destructive storms in Atlantic history, which ravaged Montego Bay’s Westgate shopping centre on September 14, 1988. With winds reaching 185 mph (298 km/h) and a record-low pressure of 888 mb, Gilbert was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike Jamaica in 37 years, leaving 80% of the island’s homes damaged and 500,000 homeless . The storm’s 40-mile-wide eye engulfed the entire island, stripping roofs, flooding streets, and crippling infrastructure—including Scotiabank’s branches, part of Jamaica’s oldest financial institution.

Founded in 1889, Scotiabank Jamaica (then The Bank of Nova Scotia) was the first Canadian bank to establish operations outside the U.S. or U.K., anchoring Montego Bay’s economic growth for nearly a century. By 1988, its network spanned 28 branches, including a presence in Westgate, a hub for commerce and tourism. Gilbert’s fury caused $700 million in damage across Jamaica (equivalent to ~$1.8 billion today), with agriculture and banking services severely disrupted . Yet, Scotiabank’s deep roots—forged through earthquakes, independence, and now hurricanes—allowed it to rebuild, mirroring Montego Bay’s resilience.

The photo underscores both Gilbert’s indiscriminate power and the enduring role of institutions like Scotiabank in Jamaica’s recovery. Today, the bank remains a pillar of the community, its history intertwined with the island’s struggles and triumphs

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The Montegonian began as the column in The Western Mirror but is evolving into so much more. We have become and are an independent, Western Jamaica-based new media entity that serves thousands of viewers and readers each month. Our publication is non-aligned and unique because we make it our priority to be the voice of the voiceless. We put a spotlight on corporate and government abuses of power and promote the stories of ordinary western Jamaicans working to make a change in extraordinary times. The Montegonian is there for you and every Montegonian and western Jamaican at home and abroad.

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