Nanny

The African Jamaican heroine Nanny, also affectionately known as “Granny Nanny,” is a symbol of African agency, resistance, and freedom. In the 18th century, Nanny became the spiritual, cultural, and military leader of the Windward or Eastern Jamaican Maroon community. Nanny has been excluded from much of the written literature on Jamaican history, and much of what is known about her has been passed down from generation to generation by way of oral tradition, in addition to several written references. In some cases, many of the historical accounts of Nanny come from second-and third-hand sources, in many cases unreliable, such as those provided by racist British writers of the 18th and 19th centuries and Maroon captives being held under duress by Europeans. Nanny's legacy has ...