Accompong

Accompong
Accompong, Jamaica, early 20th century Accompong, Jamaica, early 20th century
Nickname(s): Acheampong
Accompong
Coordinates:
Country	Jamaica
Parish	St. Elizabeth Parish

Accompong (from the Akan name Acheampong) is a historical maroon village located in the hills of St. Elizabeth Parish on the Island of Jamaica. Their autonomy as a self-governing community was established by a peace treaty with the British in 1739. Located in Cockpit Country, the local terrain enabled maroons and indigenous Taínos to establish a fortified stronghold that could protect them first against the Spanish and then later against the British who they successfully defeated during the First Maroon War. Accompong was named after an early Maroon leader.

Accompong re-elected Ferron Williams, as Colonel, the traditional leader of the Maroon Council with whom he shares responsibility for the governance of the community.

Constitutional status

Accompong is a microstate. Colonel Ferron Williams has described the community's relation with Jamaica as "a state within a state".The community's self governance was first recognised by the British colonial authorities in 1738/9. Since Jamaica gained independence, their government has recognised the rights of Maroons in terms of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. These rights include the "right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions."

History

In Accompong Town, rebel slaves and their descendants achieved victory after a protracted war with the British in which the British were forced to raise the white flag in surrender. This led to the establishment of a sovereign state governed by a legal peace treaty, and the manifestation of a sacred Maroon landscape rooted in common land.

Cudjoe (also Kojo), a leader of the Maroons, is said to have united the Maroons in their fight for autonomy under the Kindah Tree - a huge, ancient mango tree that is still standing (2009). Accompong was founded in 1739 after the Maroons signed a peace treaty with the British at nearby "Peace Cave". The treaty granted the Maroons their long sought autonomy. However a second Maroon war broke out in 1795. At the end of the war all the other Maroon settlements in Jamaica were destroyed, leaving Accompong alone as the last sovereign Maroon state.

The Kindah Tree (Mango Tree) of Accompong near where the Maroons signed their treaty with the British in 1739 (Pic 1993)

The fruitful Kindah Tree itself, with its sign proclaiming "We are Family", symbolizes the common kinship of the corporate creole community on its common land. In the 1990s the Myal Dance became a tourist attraction and a symbol of Jamaican nationhood, forged through a history of conflict and alliance.

Culture

The inhabitants of Accompong share practices and a culture similar to their African culture originating 200–300 years ago. Every 6 January (Cudjoe's birthday) at Accompong, descendants and friends of the Maroons come together at a festival in celebration of the treaty. In 2007, the festival took on a more political flavor, as attenders protested increased bauxite mining.

Accompong and Climate Change

For the Sovereign State of Accompong putting forth a dynamic climate change initiative has become an existential question. People living on small-islands collectively contribute the least towards global carbon emissions, yet small-islands are the worst affected by rises in the sea level which occur as a result of climate change. That is why Accompong is focusing both its foreign policy and monetary policy on this theme. The need to protect nature and live harmoniously with the environment has always been a strong part of Accompong’s domestic cultural heritage, and it has become the defining economic characteristic today as Accompong seeks to redefine itself in the 21st Century: building a bridge between Africa and the Caribbean, the South-South Climate Change Initiative (SSCCI) is one of Accompong's cornerstone projects.

Recently, The Colonel-in-Chief of Accompong has been re-establishing himself as a unique voice in the climate change discussion.  

External links

• Things to see and do when visiting Accompong, Jamaicaholics.com