The 17th Annual International Charles Town Maroon Conference & Festival in Jamaica, held from June 20 to 23, blended celebration with serious dialogue on indigenous land and cultural rights.
The four-day event centred on three main goals: community development, cultural preservation, and international collaboration. It brought together Maroon communities from Charles Town, Accompong, Moore Town, and Scott’s Hall, along with Jamaican Tainos and overseas participants.
On the third day, acting Charles Town Chief Captain Delano Douglas—brother of the late Chief Marcia Douglas, who died last October at age 48—reminded attendees of the Maroons’ spiritual and historical ties to the land.
“Our connection to this land is not ownership; it is a relationship,” said Douglas, also known as Ras Padam. “We are the descendants of freedom fighters. This land gave us shelter when the world gave us chains, and we have never forgotten.”
His remarks echoed growing concerns about unresolved land rights issues between the Jamaican state and Maroon communities. On day two, Moore Town Chief Colonel Wallace Sterling, the country’s longest-serving Maroon leader, said it was timely that land rights be a central focus of the 2025 observances.
“If you have land, you have power,” Sterling declared. He questioned the inconsistency between calls for reparations from Britain for slavery and the lack of “internal reparations” or land recognition for indigenous groups like the Maroons.
Despite formal recognition of their cultural and political identity, many Maroons argue that their land claims remain unacknowledged by the government. In Accompong, for instance, the community’s claim to Cockpit Country—based on the 1738 and 1739 peace treaties that ended the First Maroon War—has not been officially accepted.
Accompong Chief Richard Currie called for unity among Maroon communities on the issue. He insisted the treaties remain “still standing, still binding, and still sacred.” Currie also criticised the government’s refusal to fund development projects in what he refers to as “the Sovereign State of Accompong.”
In response, Currie said Accompong had launched several independent development initiatives, including plans for a mini health centre, a technological and entrepreneurial centre, community Wi-Fi service, and an atmospheric water generator to extract water from air.
Amid the advocacy and reflection, the festival also offered rich cultural experiences.
Day two featured “Bun Fyah Night,” with traditional music, drumming, dance, and storytelling, alongside a Taino riverbank ceremony involving locals and international guests. A Community Day created space for shared stories, discussions, and the enjoyment of traditional food and craft.
The final day included a tribute to legendary Maroon leader Captain Quao, who played a key role in the rebellion that led to the 1739 Windward Peace Treaty.
As the curtain fell on four days of events, participants were left not only with memories of celebration but also renewed calls for unity and justice regarding land and ancestral rights.
