For some years now, the Jamaican police have been painting out murals in working-class communities in a symbolic battle between residents and the artists who create them.
Police wearing battle fatigues have been seen carrying paintbrushes around Kingston's notorious slums in an effort to cover up images that may be glorifying "leaders of Jamaica's violent underworld".
Recently, there have been several mural movement in Jamaica. Viewing a mural is as easy as stepping of a main road into any working-class community.
A skillfully crafted mural can fall into four types:
- The first, depicts community heroes such as successful reggae artistes, businessmen and sports people.
- Second set depicts political figures. These tend to be local activists who have championed the community or international black anti-colonial, political heroes such Marcus Garvey, Leonard Howell, Haile Selassie, and others.
- The third group consists of religious images often with Rastafari themes like the Apocalypse, the Last Supper, and the Black Madonna and child.
- The fourth group is made up of commemorative murals (aka sunrise and sunset murals). These portray community members who have died - sometimes but not always - violently. There are memorial murals for police who come from the neighbourhoods and who have fallen in the line of duty.
