Born Ya

Renowned for her exquisite landscapes and finely observed portraits, painting has been Judy Ann MacMillan’s life from a very young age. Once again she has turned that acute and truthful eye upon herself with a sensational new self-portrait. But this time she is using a pen rather than a paintbrush. It is a story of survival and redemption.


Pluto Shervington’s cheerfully defiant 1975 Reggae hit, ‘I Man, Born Ya’, is a similar story of resilience. Set against the mass exodus of Jamaicans leaving an island beset with economic hardship and political violence, the song has become an anthem for those who stayed and a nostalgic memory for those who never returned. As one of Jamaica’s leading artists, MacMillan could easily have picked up her brush and easel and fled too. Yet she remained and in this remarkable autobiography, she describes the profound consequences of that decision both to her and her family.


With startling honesty, 'Born Ya' lays bare the unique sacrifices required of a female artist living and working in an island that can often confound even the strongest spirit. Despite all the trials and tribulations, MacMillan has remained true to her twin passions of painting and homeland. Achingly funny and sad in equal measure, this is above all a love letter to Jamaica.