PROCEEDINGS OF THE

INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY

IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

JaICOMOS

Jamaica National Committee

NATIONAL POSITION PAPER

The mention of the word Jamaica, which means land of wood and water, often conjures up
images of beaches, coconut trees, and reggae music, that is a cultural experience. In addition,
this culture is enriched within the context of its urban and rural setting both natural and man-
made. It is all these factors of the culture which help to define what is authentic --what is
genuine, what is real, what is the spirit of the place. We in Jamaica therefore endorse the
heightened discussions on authenticity and in particular how this translates at the local level

Authenticity as it applies to the preservation and interpretation of the historic monuments and
sites in Jamaica is a subject which when discussed, raises more issues rather than offers
answers. Often-times, the factor which affect how we proceed with regard to authenticity
sometimes centre around the economy --can we afford to be genuine? But the real question
which we believe should be asked is, can we afford not to be authentic?

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
COMITÉ NATIONAL DES ETATS UNIS DU CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES MONUMENTS ET DES SITES
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY
IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

Tourism is one of the major sources of income on the island, and there is a governmental
acknowledgement of the importance of the cultural heritage in the form of the traditional and
historic environment, to the sale of this tourism product. If the product is not authentic, if it is
not Jamaican, then what will be used to attract visitors? How can Jamaica obtain a major source
of its income out of Tourism if it does not offer an authentic product? The next question is, how
do we achieve authenticity and evaluate it in the preservation and management of the
Jamaican heritage?

As a state party to the World Heritage Convention, Jamaica would attempt to adhere to the
guidelines established therein in the evaluation of the preservation of the nation's patrimony.
Preservation standards on the island should therefore meet the Test of Authenticity in design,
material, workmanship, or setting. Such terms are almost abstract outside of a boarder
framework of understanding and management operations within the island setting. In the
evaluation of authenticity in the context of the World Heritage Convention, Henry Cleere
comments that the Operational Guidelines " make[s] no anempt to define these aspects of
authenticity further to indicate permissible levels of restoration or reconstruction. It also
significantly makes no mention of authenticity of function, which is currently being given a
higher profile by ICOMOS in its evaluations. Against this lack of specificity, it cannot be gainsaid
that ICOMOS evaluations in this respect have in the past been empirical and subjective. "(1)

In this context as outlined by Cleere, we believe that not only should added consideration be
given to the authenticity of the function, but also to the authenticity of the social environment
out of which the artifact originated --the spirit of the place. This social consideration defines the
culture. We believe that the Test of Authenticity should therefore consider all the already
defined criteria, as well as adopt the criteria of the cultural context.

The opening up of the factors of conservation of the environment to include the cultural
landscape particularly in its broader context, is of paramount interest to Jamaica. Our sugar
plantations with their attendant landscapes, coffee plantations on their hill slopes, as well as

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
COMITÉ NATIONAL DES ETATS UNIS DU CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES MONUMENTS ET DES SITES
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY
IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

intimate villagescape of our rural areas are a collection of aspects of the Jamaican environment
which are in need of local interpretation not only within the historical context, but also against
the background of slavery and its negative social impact to the majority of Jamaicans. Although
slavery was a negative social experience, the lifestyle of the slaves nonetheless were significant
within their context, and should be one of the focus of any authentic interpretation. In that
historic period, these Jamaicans themselves had a social structure beyond that imposed by
slavery, which was significant to the history and development of Jamaica as a nation. The ability
to rise above the obstacles of slavery and its stigma has contributed and carried over positively
into present day Jamaica.

Spanish Town, the former capital of Jamaica for over three centuries, has been submitted for
nomination as a World Heritage city. It has a strong urban fabric in its original city plan and
collection of important historic architecture. Any restoration however, of its physical fabric with
adaptive use proposals --as authentic as it may be in design, material, workmanship, or setting,
would cease to be authentic without the language, colour, splendour and spectacle of some of
the civic and social activities which the people of Spanish Town have contributed and enjoyed
throughout the centuries. School choirs singing, high court trials, Town Hall meetings, street
vending, and picture taking tourists in the historic civic Square of the town have contributed to
the overall experience of the artifact against its social setting. The nuances of the social context
constitutes a real authentic experience of the city and its buildings reflecting the life
experiences of day and night time activities. To restore the physical fabric without the
community life would destroy the genius loci --the spirit of the place.

In conclusion, the position which Jamaica wishes to put forward to the discussion at the Inter-
American Symposium on Authenticity in Conservation and Management of Cultural Resources,
is that any test of authenticity should carry the social criteria as an important consideration.
The preservation of the physical fabric may achieve genuineness however, without the
contribution of that of the local environment --the culture within which the artifact originates,
then we may only achieve a replication of a time period with "implied authenticity" outside of

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
COMITÉ NATIONAL DES ETATS UNIS DU CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES MONUMENTS ET DES SITES
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE
INTERAMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON AUTHENTICITY
IN THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, USA MARCH, 1996

the real human experience. The experience of the visitor will therefore be enhanced against
this dynamic cultural "landscape" adding renewed interest to the product.

Patricia Green

Chairman JaICOMOS

Endnotes:

1. Henry Cleere, "The Evaluation of Authenticity in the Context of the World Heritage Convention" in
1994, by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS, Paris, 94. 

UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON MONUMENTS AND SITES
COMITÉ NATIONAL DES ETATS UNIS DU CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL DES MONUMENTS ET DES SITES