Jamaica unveils ‘Sunken Secrets’ mural highlighting underwater cultural heritage

The mural “Sunken Secrets,” painted by Jamaican muralist Keddan Savage and installed on East Street in downtown Kingston, illustrates Jamaica’s underwater cultural heritage, including shipwrecks, marine ecosystems, and the island’s maritime history.

Downtown Kingston came alive on Friday with the unveiling of a new mural celebrating Jamaica’s underwater cultural heritage. Titled “Sunken Secrets,” the artwork was unveiled at 10–16 East Street by Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia “Babsy” Grange, as the culmination of a three-day regional initiative aimed at engaging the public on the importance of preserving submerged cultural sites across Jamaica and the Caribbean.

The programme was led by the Ministry in partnership with UNESCO Regional Office for the Caribbean and supported by the National Museum Jamaica, Jamaica National Heritage Trust, Kingston Creative, Myers, Fletcher and Gordon, and the Institute of Jamaica, which hosted a public symposium and the mural unveiling.

Speaking at the event, Minister Grange highlighted the significance of the initiative, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of UNESCO’s 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. “This initiative is very timely as it commemorates the 25th anniversary of UNESCO’s 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and highlights the importance of recognising, documenting, preserving and safeguarding our underwater cultural heritage,” she said.

Grange emphasized that Jamaica’s submerged heritage goes beyond shipwrecks and treasure. “Our underwater heritage is not only about shipwrecks, lost gold, or the submerged city of Port Royal following the 1692 earthquake,” she explained. “It also includes sacred spaces of memory that tell the story of our ancestors who were forcibly taken from West Africa and brought to the Caribbean.” She referenced the tragic history of the Zong Massacre, in which over 130 enslaved Africans were thrown overboard, underscoring the deeper historical narrative connected to the Caribbean Sea.

Painted by Jamaican muralist Keddan Savage and commissioned through Kingston Creative, the mural occupies a prominent location along East Street near the Institute of Jamaica’s Junior Centre and Myers, Fletcher and Gordon. The artwork invites passersby to reflect on Jamaica’s rich maritime history and cultural heritage.

Eric Falt, Director of UNESCO’s Regional Office for the Caribbean, noted the importance of public engagement. “Protecting underwater cultural heritage requires not only scientific expertise and policy frameworks, but also public awareness and appreciation,” he said. “Initiatives such as this mural help bring these important stories to the surface and encourage communities, especially young people, to value and protect the cultural heritage that lies beneath our waters.”

Minister Grange also announced plans for a second underwater heritage mural in Spanish Town, which will be installed along a wall at Eltham High School. She highlighted the historic significance of the Institute of Jamaica, founded in 1879 as the oldest cultural institution of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, and expressed hope for the surrounding area to be renamed “IOJ Square.”

The unveiling of “Sunken Secrets” marked a key highlight of the three-day programme, which aimed to strengthen regional collaboration, deepen public understanding, and foster greater appreciation for the protection of underwater cultural heritage in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.