A historian in Ghana has asserted that the term “Jamaica” is an Akan term that originated from Ghanaian slaves.
According to him, the Akan slaves were shipped to the foreign land and kept saying, “perhaps, I’ve gotten stuck here” in Twi, which was the origin of the name
Other sources have said that the word comes from Xaymaca which means “Land of Springs”
A Ghanaian historian who appears to be at the Ancestral River Park at Assin Manso in the Central Region of Ghana has argued that “Jamaica” is an Akan term.
In a snippet of GBCNews sighted by YEN.com.gh, the gentleman explains that the term “Jamaica” may sound like a word from the land of Jamaica itself but in reality, it was a group of Akan slaves that named the place with the term.
The historian explained that the word Jamaica actually comes from “perhaps, I’ve remained here” in Akan, which is said in a similar word-pronunciation as “Jamaica”.
“When the slaves were shipped from the shores of Ghana to the Caribbean, they hoped to come back home but figured that ‘perhaps, they’d remain in the foreign land’”, the history man further indicated.
Contrary to the strong assertion by the Ghanaian historian about “Jamaica” on national television, a search by YEN.com.gh has revealed another source believed to be the origin of the name.
