Revivalists celebrate UNESCO recognition of Watt Town pilgrimage

A celebratory atmosphere filled Watt Town, St Ann, as revivalists dressed in elaborate multi-coloured robes and headgear gathered to receive the official United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) certificate recognising the Pilgrimage to Watt Town on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The certificate was handed over by Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange during the annual pilgrimage on March 6.

The UNESCO inscription was officially granted in December 2024 during the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This marks Jamaica's third UNESCO inscription, following the recognition of the Maroon Heritage of Moore Town in 2008 and reggae music in November 2019.

Revivalism, a folk religion blending African spirituality and Christianity, traces its roots to Myalism -- a religious movement initiated by Africans brought to Jamaica to work on plantations. Myalism played a significant role in early anti-slavery resistance. The Pilgrimage to Watt Town, a deeply spiritual annual commemoration, began just before the Great Revival of September 1860 and has since remained a cornerstone of Jamaican revivalist traditions.

Grange lauded the significance of the pilgrimage, describing it as an event "where history, spirituality and community converge to celebrate not only our cultural heritage, but also the spirit of renewal and revival that is alive in every corner of this vibrant town... every nook and cranny of Jamaica and across the diaspora, where you have Jamaicans".

"This journey reconnects us with the timeless traditions of our ancestors, who ... when the slave masters introduced Christianity, they created a unique Jamaican worship, African-Christian Jamaican worship through revivalism," she added.

Highlighting the importance of UNESCO's recognition, Minister Grange explained, "UNESCO does not inscribe religion, but [it] will inscribe elements that celebrate aspects of the religion, and we thought it was important [to nominate the pilgrimage] because this is a practice that started with our ancestors, and it has continued."

She emphasised that the recognition affirms the deep cultural and historical significance of Jamaica's revival traditions.

"This recognition affirms the deep cultural and historical significance of our revival traditions, preserving them for future generations, while honouring the resilience, the strength, the faith, and the unity that bind our people. I invite each of you to continue embracing this opportunity, to celebrate our past, to engage with our present, and ignite the future of our cultural heritage."