Man versus machine the problem with cane cutting in Jamaica.
My search for former sugar plantation sites linked to the sale of Boulton & Watt steam engines to power sugar mills in Jamaica during the nineteenth century led me to an area in the parish of Westmoreland, near Little London.
Photograph: Cane cutter working in fields near the former Midgham Sugar Plantation in Westmoreand, 2023, Tracey Thorne
I headed out on the main road from Negril towards a small town called Little London, I turned inland heading for the sugarcane fields that lie just off the main road between Little London and a place called Grange Hill. I was trying to locate where the Midgham Sugar Plantation (first owned by Jacob Ricketts c1756) had been following the trail of the order that had been made in 1816, to supply a 10 horsepower steam engine to the plantation estate from the firm of Boulton and Watt, Soho Foundry near Birmingham.
The area is no longer called Midgham so I had to use the 1804 Map of Jamaica and Google Maps to try and pinpoint where it might have been. After driving around in circles I eventually found some community elders who pointed me in the direction of a stretch of canefields where I found a group of cane cutters working, people said that this used to be Midgham.
James Watt Jnr would have overseen the order from Boulton and Watt and been aware that enslaved people would be operating the cane crusher which was to be powered by their steam engine.
While sugar plantation estates required large workforces of enslaved people, relatively few—typically 4 to 6—were needed to operate this section of the sugar mill, where steam power was used to drive the sugarcane rollers. The 1814 diagram below offers a rare depiction of the machinery being operated by an enslaved person.
However, the technical drawings by Boulton & Watt, which focus solely on the machinery, omit any representation of the operators. This omission has contributed to the historical erasure of the enslaved from the dominant narrative of industrial progress. Over time, it has become all too easy to overlook the critical role of enslaved individuals, rendering them invisible in the broader story of industrialisation and Birmingham.
Photograph: Lang & Anderson Steam Engine shown powering sugarcane rollers being operated by an enslaved person, courtesy the Boulton & Watt Collection MS3147/5/1353b 2023, Tracey Thorne, in the exhibition Intended for Jamaica.
One of the key jobs on the estate was cane cutting which was done by hand by using forced gangs of enslaved people during the long harvest period.
This method of bringing in the harvest - cane cutting cane in Jamaica hasn't changed much since those days. I leant that it is still mainly cut by hand using a cutlass with sugar producers employing seasonal cane cutters between the harvest months of January to June.
Photograph: Cutlass used by cane cutters to cut the sugarcane held in the hand of a worker in fields near the former Midgham Sugar Plantation in Westmoreland, 2023, Tracey Thorne featured in the exhibition Intended for Jamaica
Photograph: Cane cutter working in fields near the former Midgham Sugar Plantation in Westmoreland, 2023, Tracey Thorne
Photograph: Cane cutter working in fields near the former Midgham Sugar Plantation in Westmoreland. The cane is burnt before workers slash it. 2023, Tracey Thorne
I spotted one mechanical harvester being taken out to the fields but workers told me much of the cane was still cut by hand, especially on uneven land. I had read that part of the decline in the sugar industry during the twentieth century was linked to a lack of investment in specialist equipment.
Jamaica's sugar industry post-covid has suffered more decline with only two sugar mills processing sugar on the island - these are Frome Sugar Factory (former Tate & Lyle estates) near where I took these photographs and Worthy Park in St Catherine.
Photograph: Mechanical harvester being transported out to the canefields from Frome Sugar Factory, Westmoreland, 2023, Tracey Thorne
I couldn't find anything of the former Midgham Sugar Plantation other than the sugarcane fields where over several days I met and spoke with cane cutters to learn about the harvesting of sugarcane.
Video: Short Interview with a cane cutter called Sugar Boy to learn about cane cutting, Westmoreland, 2023, Tracey Thorne
I chose not to put any images of the cane cutters in the exhibition but talked about this experience during my artist talks and it informed the work to also focus on the extraordinary 'resistance' to slavery and colonialism. This work also helped me to reflect on the lasting legacies of British slavery and imperialism and to understand why work on reparations is so important. The owners of Midgham Plantation received £4163 15s 0d in compensation in 1836 for freeing 233 enslaved people.
I am particularly interested in exploring the colonial legacies embedded in rural communities and the profound impact these have had on the land. Even today, vast areas of the island remain dominated by sugarcane, a testament to the enduring influence of colonial practices. Understanding how these legacies continue to shape the landscape and livelihoods in these regions is crucial to grasping the full scope of their historical and contemporary significance.
Work made by the Frome Sugar Factory, Workers Park Memorial and nearby fields featured in the exhibition Intended for Jamaica exhibited at the Library of Birmingham, until 14 Dec 2024.
Photograph: Faded mural on the entrance wall to Frome Sugar Factory in Westmoreland, 2023, Tracey Thorne, featured in the exhibition Intended for Jamaica
The project was supported by Arts Council England.
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