Devon Taylor | An anti-colonial vision of the Jamaican coastline

The legal battle to safeguard public access to the Blue Lagoon National Monument will resume on September 10, after the latest delay in a two-year struggle. August 29, will mark the three-year anniversary of the closure of the public parochial road to Blue Lagoon. Islandwide, impact on local communities affected by beach dispossession is immeasurably traumatic. Despite its power to provide redress, the state has instead chosen to oppose the very citizens it swears to serve and protect.

There is an African proverb that teaches us, “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” We write to correct state representatives’ misrepresentation of the facts, and to offer a vision for the coastline that honours the Jamaican people, our culture, our ancestors, and our future.

Articles published in the The Gleaner [February 24, “Port Antonio mayor: We don’t need any duppy stories about Blue Lagoon”] and Jamaica Observer [March 5, “Free Public Access to Blue Lagoon, says JNHT”] incorrectly represent what is happening. These articles were told from the viewpoint of one side of an ongoing court case over public access to the Lagoon and its beach.

The articles’ sources – the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) and the Mayor of Port Antonio, representing the Portland Municipal Corporation – are defendants in the case, meaning that they are aligned against community members who seek legal protection for customary access to the Lagoon. Should the court recognize the rights that are provided for in our laws, the effort made by these community members will benefit the Jamaican people – now and for generations to come.

FACTS

Access to Blue Lagoon was cut off in 2022, with promises to reopen after six months. However, it was only after protests and filing a case in the courts that Lagoon access was restored – but via a new path, rather than the longstanding parochial road that had customarily been used. The parochial road remains closed. What difference does it make which path is used? All the differences. Our laws only protect long-term use.

Under the Prescription Act of 1882, only paths that have been used for at least twenty years can be secured as permanent access rights. Surely, the Mayor and JNHT know that this is the basis of the case in which they are named. Surely, they also know that, were the community to stop fighting for their customary rights to the parochial road, those rights would expire after one year. This is why the community has continued to show up for court for two years. If they rest, they lose.

This is a battle in a larger war. Firstly, against the threat of violence, the people are fighting for permanent rights. The public road is guarded around the clock by private security. If people attempt access from the water – as they have done for generations, they are blocked by police.

We do not believe that the Jamaican people should give up their perpetual and inalienable customary rights to a public road in order to submit to the whim of the landowner over whose land the new path travels.

This is a strategy in an ongoing war. We know this because it bears striking similarities to what happened at Old Fort Bay and Mammee Bay in St Ann. Why would the state allow the access path to be changed, knowing that the big man can draw ‘im wire fence at any time, and destroy the future for the people?

Secondly, this is not just about Blue Lagoon. Across the whole island, the past shows us that permission to access the sea can be withdrawn at any time by private landowners and the government. Who will stand for the Jamaican people?

VISION

At its core, this is a battle over vision. Will Jamaica continue down a path of exclusionary development that favours private capital over public good? Or will we forge a new path – one rooted in equity, ecology, and justice?

Jamaica has the opportunity to dismantle colonial-era laws and rebuild a framework that puts its people first. A critical step is repealing the Beach Control Act of 1956, which enshrines state control over beaches and has been weaponised against the public. Instead, we must constitutionally guarantee free, perpetual access to beaches and rivers for all Jamaicans.

Beach reform must ensure that land near the shore is kept for communal and ecological use. Beyond the shoreline, a lease – only concession zone, stretching 150 meters above the high water line, would prevent permanent privatisation and enable community-controlled enterprises in tourism and recreation. This would limit the monopoly of hotel chains and foster inclusive, sustainable growth.

But this is about more than land – it is about values. Jamaica must recognise the coastline as a living entity. The rights of nature movement, which views ecosystems as having intrinsic legal rights, offers a powerful counter to exploitative development. This perspective aligns with African spiritual traditions and Indigenous wisdom: land and sea are sacred, not commodities.

TOWARD TRUE INDEPENDENCE

As we reflect on 63 years of independence, we must ask: what is self-determination if we need permission to access our own coastline?

The state’s complicity in restricting access – and in some cases, criminalising self-reliance – betrays the ideals of independence. The Jamaican economy has long failed to provide for its people, who have survived by ingenuity and resilience. Now, even that is under threat.

Land is not just soil and property – it is the foundation of freedom, identity, and self-governance. Coastal access is not a luxury; it is a birthright. We must resist the idea that foreign investment and luxury tourism are the only futures available to us.

The lion is learning to write. We reject the glorification of the hunter – be it state, developer, or foreign entity – and assert a new narrative: one in which Jamaican people, culture, and landscapes are cherished and protected.

To those who continue to dispossess and privatize, we offer another African proverb: “When hunting a lion, it is wise to remember – you too are being hunted.” The ancestors are watching. Riva Mumma and Yemayá are watching. And the people are rising.

Devon Taylor, PhD, is a biomedical research scientist and president of Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement. Send feedback to info.jabbem@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com