This bright and colorful mural celebrates the best of Jamaica, from our musicians to our athletes to our world-famous coffee. It illustrates a common Jamaican expression, “Wi Likkle but wi Tallawah’, meaning that although we are small, our impact is massive!

Prominently featured in the center of the piece is the Lion of Judah, a symbol of strength and pride, and facing him is the Doctor bird, a hummingbird endemic to the island and the national bird of Jamaica. Known in Jamaican folklore as a messenger from the spirit world, it is a fitting homage to the lasting influence of those who have built our culture over time. The juxtaposition of the beauty, speed and agility of such a feisty little bird with the noble majesty and stature of the proud lion represents the charismatic Jamaican character.

On either end of the mural coffee branches grow, their berries glistening gold and red, and behind them stretch the famous Blue Mountains. Album covers spanning the island’s musical output and layers of collaged newspaper create a rich surface over which glazes of paint glisten.

The lion’s mane is a mass of track stars, footballers and cricketers; crowning the top of the mane a victorious Usain Bolt revels in glory. The sky against which the Doctorbird hovers is a quilt of well-known songs, and the louvers that frame the scene features many of our beloved musicians. The overall effect is rich and resonant, revealing just how much this little island has given the world.