Introduction
The lyrics of Bob Marley song, 'Redemption Song' tells of the saga of the passage of the slave to the 'New World', and continues with his hope today for freedom of mind, self and human kind.
Words of Bob Marley
Old pirates yes they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I from the
Bottom less pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the almighty
We forward in this generation triumphantly
All I ever had is songs of freedom
Won't you help to sing these songs of freedom
Cause all I ever had redemption songs, redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look
Some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fulfill the book
Won't you help to sing, these songs of freedom
Cause all I ever had, redemption songs, redemption songs,
redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look
Yes some say it's just part of it
We've got to fulfill the book
Won't you help to sing, these songs of freedom
Cause all I ever had, redemption songs
All I ever had, redemption songs
These songs of freedom, songs of freedom
"Many Thousands Gone, The First Two Centuries of Slavery in North America" : Ira Berlin, the author an historian, believe that if you put aside slavery in North America, "the music would be different; the language would be different; religion would be different; food would be different."
The history of slavery and the African diaspora show that when, where and how slaves worked determined the shape of their culture. The struggle of the Jamaican Maroons show that demographic, regional, and economic variables influenced slaves' cultural autonomy and their dependence on their masters. Berlins' argue that slave cultural practices, belief systems, and aesthetic ideals is related to material circumstance and labour struggles and that slaves culture was in essence oppositional.
Indeed, the music of the Caribbean and of slavery is and was a form of resistance to oppression. Music is the instrument of the oppressed in the fight against slavery. Calypso in Trinidad was a device used by slaves and the oppressed class to distributes news and the "going on" of the people while poking subtle fun at the master class.
Later on, calypso icons like Lord Kitchener, Melody, The Mighty Sparrow, Shadow, Shorty, Arrow and so on popularize the music at calypso tents and at carnival time in Trinidad and around the world. Professor Rex Nettleford, University of the West Indies (UWI) vice-chancellor, say that "The Mighty Sparrow is in the tradition of a V.S. Naipaul, George Lamming and the other literary minds we have produced for the world through the exercise of the creative, intelligent imagination." One of the the Mighty Sparrow composition released in 1959 tells of his disappointment over the breaking up of the proposed West Indian federation. A time when many thinks that a united West Indies was perferably to what it is today.
One can trace the evolution of Jamaican music from slavery days to the rise of Ska, Rock Steady and Reggae. The role of Jamaican music in the country's politics and society has been chronicled by such artist as Augustus Pablo, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Desmond Dekker and Bob Marley, to name a few.
Reggae music is "rebel" music, the music of the Rastafarians a Jamaican revolutionary group that preaches the teaching of the late Marcus Garvey and Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. The Rastafarians in many ways represents the Maroons of Jamaica who had similar African belief and who actively participated in a "back - to - Africa movement." In the late 50s many of them repartriate to Africa because of persecution by Jamaican authority on grounds of religious or political beliefs.
The depth of Reggae music is seen in the lyrics of Bob Marley's popular song "WAR", written by Alan Cole and Carlton Barrett. Bob sets to music the speech made presented to the United Nations by H.I.M Haile Selassie. Selassie's plea for human rights now created the most powerful anti-racist statement.
Until the philosophy which holds one race
Superior and another inferior
Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned
Everywhere is war, me say war
That until there is no longer first class
And second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes
Me say war
That until the basic human rights are equally
Guaranteed to all, without regard to race
Dis a war
That until that day
The dream of lasting peace, world citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion
To be pursued, but never attained
Now everywhere is war, war
And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes
That hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique,
South Africa sub-human bondage
Have been toppled, utterly destroyed
Well, everywhere is war, me say war
War in the east, war in the west
War up north, war down south
War, war, rumours of war
And until that day, the African continent
Will not know peace, we Africans will fight
We find it necessary and we know we shall win
As we are confident in the victory
Of good over evil, good over evil, good over evil
Good over evil, good over evil, good over evil
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Email:toellis2@yahoo.ca
Last modified: 8th February, 2006
