The history and multicultural identity of Jamaica will be explored at a colloquium to be held at DePaul University April 20 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., in Munroe Hall, 2312 N. Clifton Ave., Room 115.

“The Many People Become One,” which takes its title from the Jamaican state motto, is sponsored by DePaul’s Center for Culture and History of Black Diaspora and is free and open to the public.

According to Fannie Rushing, a postdoctoral fellow at the center and organizer of the forum, it aims to address questions about Jamaica’s history, the creation of national identities in a multi-ethnic society, the role of gender in national identity, the creation and reproduction of popular culture and the role of tourism in Jamaica and the Caribbean region.

The colloquium is being held in conjunction with the touring Jamaican art exhibition, “Soon Come,” showing at the DePaul Art Gallery through May 14. Rushing said that the Jamaican motto, “out of many, one people” also inspired her to develop the forum.

“The ‘many’ being more than 95 percent of African descent,” explained Rushing. “For a time when tourism was being pursued as a major source of revenue for Jamaica, the tourist bureau used the motto on travel posters and in television ads along with the sexist picture of a young woman, chosen to represent Jamaica, rising out of the Caribbean sea in a skin-tight wet tee shirt, and beckoning, ‘come to Jamaica and feel alright.’”

The young woman chosen to represent Jamaica bore little resemblance to the majority of Jamaican people and was in stark contrast to Nanny, an 18th century woman who led one of the largest self-emancipated communities in Jamaica, according to Rushing. “The questions we seek to answer in the colloquium is how these conflicting images emerge within the same society. Which is the ‘real’ Jamaica?”

The conference opens at 10 a.m. with a welcome by Fassil Demissie, acting director of the center. The roundtable discussions and panelists are as follows:

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., “Representing Jamaica: Nanny, Garvey, Rastafari and Reggae,” Fannie T. Rushing, DePaul fellow; Anita Waters, associate professor of sociology and anthropology, Denison University, Granville, Ohio; and Harvette Grey, facilitator and director of the DePaul Cultural Center.

12:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. A luncheon address will be delivered by Beverly Manley, the former first lady of Jamaica, who will speak on “Women and Social Transformation.” Manley hosts of one of the country’s most popular radio programs, ‘Breakfast Club,” which airs over KLAS Radio. She was Jamaica’s former representative to the United Nations commission on the status of women and served as a delegate to the Fourth International Conference on Women in Beijing.

2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., “Symbols and Meaning in Jamaican Culture,” David Boxer, artist and curator of the National Gallery of Jamaica; Diane Scott, Jamaican artist represented in the exhibition.

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Closing remarks by Manley and Louise Lincoln, director of the DePaul University Art Gallery. A wine and cheese reception will be held at the art gallery, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.