
Haaretz photo
Four months ago I got an email from an Israeli journalist, Nirit Ben-Ari: “I am writing a feature article for the weekend edition of Haaretz on dancehall reggae in Jamaica. It is so interesting and mind-boggling! I read your Noises in the Blood (the part which is available online, because unfortunately the book is not available in Israel), and it was a fascinating read.”
Nirit’s first question was, “Do you think that the choice of the name ‘Gaza’ represents a political awareness and identification with the underdog?” I agreed and elaborated: In Jamaican dancehall culture, Gaza is a symbol of resistance to oppressive political powers. ‘Mi deh pon di Gaza’ (not quite ‘I am in Gaza’) signifies a constant struggle for survival like that of the Palestinians who are relentlessly fighting against Israeli domination. ‘Gaza’ is not so much a place as a state of mind.
You hear this, for example, in Vybz Kartel’s ‘Black Child – Pon Di Gaza’:
Mi see car for sale but mi cyaa buy none
Mi see house for sale, too
Tell mi when dah money deh a go come?
Ghetto yute lef school and cyaa see no future
Ten years from now tell mi
Wa a go happen to mi daughter?
If every day wi till the soil
An Babylon no share di spoil
Every day wi a suffer
Where is the love for the black child?
Mr. Chin done have him own
Dem treat wi like dog an wi still no get no bone
Tell mi, where is the love for the black child?
How mi fi live offa four grand a week, Lawd Jesus?
Dat a just fi mi son sneakers
Lawd God, mi bridge di water
Cyaa pay di bill mi ha fi back di light meter.
When mi get pay by Friday,
Everyting done by Satday
When mi tek one step forward
It come een like mi tek three step backward.
Babylon yu naa go get weh
Yu ha pay fi wa yu do to ghetto yute
Yu black bredda dem just hold di faith
Selassie I have a plan fi yu
When one ghetto youth drop out
Ten more born cau di journey continue.
Ten years from now tell mi
Wa a go happen to mi daughter?
If every day wi till the soil
An Babylon no share di spoil
Every day wi a suffer
Where is the love for the black child?
Mr. Chin done have him own
Dem treat wi like dog an wi still no get no bone
Tell mi, where is the love for the black child?
Eeh? Not nice
Mi a lead out fi di ghetto yute, mi no care
That’s why when mi reach inna Jamaica house weh day
Mi tell dem, every ghetto yute have a talent
Babylon, why yu want fi see dem fail?
Dem naa no job, dem own di future
Is not di morgue, or is not di jail
Dis is not a threat is a warning
Babylon yu naa go get weh
Yu ha pay fi wa yu do to ghetto yute.
Mi black bredda dem just hold di faith
Selassie I have a plan fi yu
When one ghetto youth drop out
Ten more born cau di journey continue.
Ten years from now tell mi
Wa a go happen to mi daughter?
The prophetic warning of these lyrics is identical to the judgement of Bob Marley’s ‘Babylon System’:
We refuse to be
What you wanted us to be.
We are what we are
That’s the way it’s going to be.
You can’t educate I
For no equal opportunity
Talking about my freedom
People freedom and liberty.
Yeah!
We’ve been trodding on the winepress
Much too long
Rebel, rebel.
Babylon system is the vampire
Sucking the children day by day.
Babylon system is the vampire
Sucking the blood of the sufferers.
Building church and university
Deceiving the people continually.
Me seh them graduating
Thieves and murderers,
Look out now
Sucking the blood of the sufferers.
Tell the children the truth.
Observing Mental Slavery
Ever since 1992 when I first conceived the idea of a reggae studies centre in Jamaica that would attempt to tell the children the truth that is recorded in our popular music, ‘mi deh pon di Gaza!’ It has been an epic struggle to demonstrate the academic legitimacy of the enterprise.
Last week Tuesday’s malicious cartoon in the Observer is a classic manifestation of the mental slavery I’ve been fighting against. Making a mockery of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Clovis represented Vbyz Kartel’s guest lecture at the University of the West Indies, Mona as a sacrilegious act, undermining the academic integrity of the institution.
There I am, with my bleached-out face, leading the donkey on which Kartel is riding. Poor Professor Shirley, with that quizzical look on his face, is obviously wondering what he’s doing in the midst of the rabble.
At a time when the University is suffering from severe budget cuts, Clovis insinuates that reggae studies is a complete waste of resources. So a nerdy male student asks, “Is this mi parents spend millions fi mi fi com’ university com’ learn?!” Ironically, this is the same language that is also derided in the cartoon. ‘Patwah Docta’ is branded across my pubic region thus confirming the lower reaches of the Jamaican language.
There are other ironies that I’m sure our Israeli journalist would appreciate. Kartel’s legal name, ‘Palmer,’ is of French origin. It was the name given to a pilgrim who had visited the Holy Land and who brought back a palm branch as confirmation of the journey. Similarly, a Muslim who makes the pilgrimage (or hajj) to Mecca takes the title ‘Alhaji.’
So in my subversive re-reading of the cartoon, the students who throw palm branches at Kartel’s feet are paying due homage to Mr. Palmer who has visited the Holy Land of the University of the West Indies. Unlike Ragashanti, who is left outside the gates of the hallowed institution because of bad behaviour (as in Wednesday’s Observer cartoon), ‘Di Teacha’ is allowed to enter.
There are positive stories that do encourage me on my own pilgrimage ‘pon di Gaza.’ A colleague told me that she overheard her sons and their friends discussing last week’s column. A couple of them who had been thinking about dropping out of U Tech decided they couldn’t. If Kartel was going to get a degree they had to finish. These are middle-class youths in Mona. I keep wondering about the impact of Adidja Palmer’s admission to university on talented ghetto youth who want to ‘own di future.’
Mi De Pan Di Gaaza!
Fuor mont abak, mi get wan iimiel fram wan Izrieli nyuuspiepa raita, Nirit Ben-Ari: “Mi a rait wan tuori fi di Haaretz wiiken piepa bout daansaal rege iina Jamieka. It so inchrestin an it mek mi ai dazl! Mi riid yu buk Noises in the Blood (di paat we de pan lain kaa, laik a spait, yu kyaan get di huola buk iina Izrel. Di buk huol mi.
Di fos kweschan Nirit aks a, “Yu tink se wen piipl se ‘Gaaza’ dat miin se dem andastan di palitiks an dem a difen di sofara dem?” Mi agrii wid ar an mi spel it out: Iina Jamiekan daansaal kolcha, Gaaza stan fi rizistans tu Babilani. ‘Mi de pan di Gaaza’ (dat a no siem laka ‘mi iina Gaaza’) miin se evri die yu a put op a fait fi sorvaiv laka di Palistiniyan dem we a fait fi dem laif gens di Izrieli dem. ‘Gaaza’ a no wan plies; a wan stiet a main.
Tek far instans Vybz Kartel ‘Blak Pikni– Pan Di Gaaza’:
Mi si kyaar a sel bot mi kyaa bai non
Mi si ous a sel, tu
Tel mi wen da moni de a go kom?
Geto yuut lef skuul an kyaa si no fyuucha
Ten ier fram nou tel mi
Wa a go apn tu mi daata?
If evri die wi til di sail
An Babilan no shier di spwail
Evri die wi a sofa
We di lov fi di blak pikni de?
Mr. Chin don ha fi im
Dem chriit wi laka daag an wi stil no get no buon
Tel mi, we di lov fi di blak pikni de?
Ou mi fi liv aafa fuor gran a wiik, Laad Jiizas?
Dat a jos fi mi son sniika
Laad Gad, mi brij di waata
Kyaa pie di bil mi ha fi bak di lait miita.
Wen mi get pie bai Fraide,
Evriting don bai Satde
Wen mi tek wan step faawad
It kom iin laik mi tek chrii step bakwad.
Babilan yu naa go get we
Yu ha fi pie fi wa yu du tu geto yuut
Yu blak breda dem jos huol di fiet
Selassie I av a plan fi unu
Wen wan geto yuut jrap out
Ten muor baan kaa di jorni a gwaan.
Ten ier fram nou tel mi
Wa a go apn tu mi daata?
If evri die wi til di sail
An Babilan no shier di spwail
Evri die wi a sofa
We di lov fi di blak pikni de?
Mr. Chin don ha fi im
Dem chriit wi laik daag an wi stil no get no buon
Tell mi, we di lov fi di blak pikni de?
Ii? Nat nais
Mi a liid out fi di geto yuut, mi no kya
A it mek wen mi riich iina Jamieka ous we die
Mi tel dem, evri geto yuut gat a talent
Babilan, wa mek yu waan fi si dem fiel?
Dem naa no jab, di fyuucha a fi dem
A no no maag, an a no no lak-op
Dis a no no chret; a waan mi a waan.
Babilan yu naa go get we
Yu ha fi pie fi wa yu du tu geto yuut.
Mi blak breda dem jos huol di fiet
Selassie I av a plan fi unu
Wen wan geto yuut jrap out
Ten muor baan kau di jorni a gwaan.
Ten ier fram nou tel mi
Wa a go apn tu mi daata?

From Haaretz article
A di sed siem profisait an profisi iiina Bob Marley ‘Babilan Sistim.’ Jojment:
Wi naa ton wiself
Iina wa unu waan.
Unu si wi; a so wi tan
An a so it a go tan.
Unu kyaan edikiet Ai
Fi no iikwal apachuniti
Chat bout fi mi friidom
Piipl friidom an libati.
Ye!
A lang lang lang
Wi a chrod pan di wainpres
Ribel, ribel.
Babilan sistim a wan vampaya
A sok di pikni dem evri die
Babilan sistim a wan vampaya
A sok di blod a di sofara dem.
A bil choch an yuunivorsiti
A disiiv di piipl dem kyaa don.
Mi se dem a gradiyiet
Tiif an mordara,
Wach ya nuo
Dem a sok di blod a di sofara dem.
Tel di pikni dem di chruut.
Mi a obsorv mental slievri
Fram1992 wen it kom tu mi se wi fi set op wan senta iina Jamieka we uda chrai tel di pikni dem di chruut we rikaad iina fi wi myuzik, mi de pan di Gaaza! Wat a fait fi shuo se fi wi kolcha a wan siiryos ting fi stodi. A no wan juok bizniz.
Unu si laas wiik Chuusde bad-main kyaatuun iina di Observer! Dat a wan gud egzaampl a di mental slievri mi a fait gens. Clovis tek Jiizas mek papishuo wen im dida raid pan di dangki iina Jeruusalem. Azkaadn tu Clovis, Vybz Kartel kom iin laka Jiizas chruu im kom gi wan ges lekcha op a di Yuunivorsiti a di Wes Indiiz. Dat a fi mek it luk laik se Yuunivorsiti a sin fi put Kartel pan di siem levl laka Jiizas. An yuunivorsiti gaan tu notn if Kartel kyan a gi lekcha. An si mi, wid mi bliich-out fies a liid di dangki we Kartel a raid. Puor Profesa Shirley im, wid dat kanfyuuz luk pan im fies, laik im a wanda a wan im a du a miks op wid di uop iip a uol niega dem.
Yuunivorsiti a sofa fram bad-bad bojit kot. An Clovis wid im bad-main self a mek i luk laik se rege stodis a wan wies-a-moni sinting. Unu si ou im tan bad! An ku pan di buk-worm miel styuudent im a aks, ‘A dis mi mada an mi faada spen so moch moni fi mi fi kom yuunivorsiti kom laan!’ Di bes juok, dat a di sed siem langgwij wa Clovis a laaf aafta iina di kyatuun. ‘Patwah Docta’ rait aaf big-big dong aanda mi wieslain fi shuo se a dong de so fi wi Jamieka langgwij fi tan.
Dat a no di ongl juok. Mi shuor se di Izrieli nyuuspiepa raita uda lov disya wan. Kartel liigal niem, ‘Palmer,’ kom fram French. Dat a di niem yu uda tek if yu go a di Huoli Lan. Yu bring bak wan paam branch fi shuo se yu did go de. Siem laik out wen di Muslim dem go pan di jorni (di haj) to Meka dem tek di taikl ‘Alhaji.’
So wen mi ton roun bak di kyaatuun pan Clovis mi si se di styuudent dem we a chruo dong paam branch fi Kartel raid uova, dem a pie rait an propa rispek tu Misa Palmer chruu im visit fi Huoli Lan – dat a di Yuunirositi a di Wes Indiiz. Ragashanti get lef outsaid di giet a di huoli instityuuushan bikaaz a bad bihievya. Nat di Teacha. Im get fi kom iin. Dat a Wensde Observer kyaatuun.

Varun Baker photo
Mi du get pazitiv vaibz fi di chrod pan di Gaaza. Piipl tel mi stuori fi kip mi op. Wan uman we mi wok wid a yuunivorsiti tel me se si hier ar son an dem fren a taak bout laas wiik kalam. Kopl a dem did a tink bout jrap out a U Tech. Dem mek op dem main se dem kyaa jrap out. If Kartel a go get yuunivorsiti digrii, dem ha fi finish. Dem ya a migl klaas yuut iiina Muona. Mi kip aan a wanda, if Adidja Palmer disaid im main fi go a yuunivorsiti fi chruu, wa impak dat uda av pan geto yuut wid talent, uu nuo se ‘di fyuucha a fi dem.’