By: Charles H.E. Campbell
Given my experience, but without intimate knowledge of their actual budgets, I am going to share with readers what it costs the Promoters to stage an event like Rebel Salute, Western Consciousness or East Fest, because I believe the public and certainly the government pays scant regard to the valuable contribution which the local entertainment sector plays in the economic life of our country. Unfortunately, with regards to this sector, the leaders have adopted the philosophy that declares “the least said, the better”. I think in order for us to compete with carnival, football and to a lesser degree, cricket, for public recognition, endorsement and corporate sponsorship, it is our responsibility to become more organized and transparent with our business transactions, public and general activity. This is not to say that we will ever get their wholehearted support, nor should we expect it. It might dull the edge, the stridency and universal appeal of our music. We may not have them sitting on our committees or attending the events and dancing to the beat in the thick of the crowd- though it is ironic that they mix with these same ‘dancehall’ people quite harmoniously on the streets during the Jamaica carnival road march each year.
To be a good Promoter, one must have the heart of a gambler and a brain like a computer. Event promotion is far removed from a routine kind of business life. The main motivational factor is the intensity and excitement of creation and power, that major event promoters experience. It is a ‘do or die’ profession, calling on the promoter’s abilities to fuse so many kinds of elements into one whole, that it sometimes does seem like a miracle when the actual Event comes off. In fact, generally it is a high risk business, but the appeal to become a Promoter is so great, that for some, the prospect of success is worth the risk, while some people are attracted to the glamour of the profession.
Promoters/Producers of concerts, festivals and tours often receive more attention than the Acts themselves. They are interviewed, photographed and quoted, and if they last, they become famous and powerful. Amazingly, however, some of the most famous concerts/events and festivals have brought little or no profit to the Promoter because of poor planning and management (lack of attention to details), and sometimes disaster in various forms eliminated success.
So to begin with, we have to define the Event– that idea or concept that we want to transform into an important successful occasion/affair/experience. Is it a concert, fair, fun day or ceremony? What is the most appropriate venue, the locale, the capacity, the facilities? We now ask ourselves, what is the motive or rationale for this Event? Is it for profit; is it to celebrate some important anniversary, or person? The answers to the above will help us to evolve a production theme for the Event.
The locale, the capacity, the facilities, the production and security infrastructure, the cost of rental, all determine your choice of venue. Promotion begins with the choice of Acts to showcase. Factors influencing this choice include air play, record sales, patron support and financial success of any previous Event that an Act has done in the area and reliability of Acts. To keep up with the current entertainment scene a Promoter must read the trade papers, to keep him/her informed on what Acts are appearing on major shows and what reviewers think of them.
If an Act has been overexposed through frequent concert appearances, you may not be able to create sufficient excitement to sell many tickets. If the Act is virtually unknown in your area, it is going to be necessary to do an all out promotion job so that people will be enticed to the Event. Similarly, these factors should affect the setting of the ticket prices. A relatively unknown Act will not sell out if the ticket prices are set too high. Once a price is agreed upon with the Act/Acts, and contracts signed, preparations for the Event should go full speed ahead.
A look at the requirement specifications of a technical rider from the Act/Acts will determine stage plots, band gear, dancing platforms, microphones and like. These will have to be booked and stage (the appropriate size and roofing, if required), lighting and sound equipment and instruments according to the rider, must be finalised. The Promoter must also plan for creative décor, sets, wings, backdrop, if required.
The timing of an Event must be carefully considered, certain holidays may cause people to want to stay at home, while others may pull them out to celebrate. If an Event is to be held outdoors, attendance will be affected by the weather, and you may need to arrange an alternate site or a rain date.
In determining how to promote a particular Event, it is important to know exactly what age group/market demographic, the Event/Act will attract. This will govern the extent of the advertising and promotions. Which radio stations and by extension which programmes, what newspapers/magazines and which days to place ads. Advertising must be planned with great care. The promoter may set a minimal advertising budget and hold a reserve for extra ads if needed, or he could solicit private sponsorship to cover his advertising costs. It is important to advertise in the medium/media that will match the demographic of the target market. Free radio publicity can be obtained through community bulletin board features, community based newspapers and cable networks are somewhat cheaper than the major media. Local entertainment magazines and tourist-oriented weeklies may include details of the Event for a small or no charge whatsoever.
The campaign really gets underway some 6 to 8 weeks before the actual Event. Tickets must be printed and ticket distribution outlets arranged. Sometimes when presenting a series of Events, a promoter may decide to offer a discounted season ticket. Press releases are considered publicity material and should be disseminated along with pictures to the newspapers and magazines. They should be sent out with enough lead time so stories can be printed before the Event. Press releases should be followed by telephone calls and invitations to the Event. Promotional material, like posters, flyers, teaser boards, banners should be printed and distributed in neighbouring towns as well as in the City where the Event is being held. These promotional materials should go out way in advance and placed in important locations such as retail stores, pharmacies, visible intersections, that will cater to the market you are targeting.
As the actual date of the Event approaches, the Promoter should send out mailings from his/her own mailing list (special invitees, V.I.Ps, press passes). If the Event appears to be in trouble a week before the Date, certain remedial measures can be taken. More money can be spent on Advertising, and Group discounts can be offered. Arrange live interviews with any media personnel of influence. Any revenue is better than an empty venue.
By this time, the Promoter should have arranged for adequate parking facilities, crowd control procedures, Security, and must hire competent Stage/production personnel. During the Event, the promoter needs to check on the Light and Sound, make sure there are no disturbances at the box offices or elsewhere, and ensure the programme runs on time.
After it is all over it is time to assess the situation. What do you use to measure success? In the final analysis in the private sector, the question is - did the Event make money? In common, success is assessed by the following criteria - Was it well attended? Were the artistic contributions of high standard? Was the production flawless? Was it incident free? Were the reviews and comments from patrons and Press good? Thank you notes and personal calls should be made to all the people who made the Event a success.
Let’s now look at a breakdown of the basic departments the minimum contributing costs of these major events, and their areas of responsibilities – recognizing that a department may be one person, and/or one person may wear many hats.
• Finance and Administration – budget and cash flow; tickets (purchase, sales & outlets, printing and stationery, office supplies), insurance, permits (JFM, JACAP and Parish Councils), professional fees, legal fees - $437,000
• Promotions – sponsorship, public relations, advertising, publicity, press kits, VIP protocol - $2,021,000
• Artistic Management – booking and contracting an average of 10 Acts, rehearsals, rider requirements, hospitality (dressing rooms, refreshments etc.,) running order (script) - $3,650,000
• Production Management – venue (rental and preparation), chairs, tents, bathrooms, stage and lights, PA System, band gear, stage plots, backdrop and décor, electrical and plumbing requirements, garbage disposal - $1,480,000
• Merchandise – food and beverage, art and craft, event souvenirs, concessionaires - $208,000
• Security & Logistics – transportation, accommodation, radio communications, crowd control barriers and fencing, security plan and personnel - $1,420,000
The grand total is $9,216,000.
© 2005 C.H.E. Campbell.
Sunday, 29 May 2005
Sunday, 15 May 2005
Jamaican Bars Serve More Than Refreshments
By: Charles H.E. Campbell
It is said that Jamaica has more churches and rum bars per square mile than any other country in the world. I cannot verify the accuracy of the above but they certainly both impact significantly on people’s lives. Recent surveys show the church with a registered membership of nearly 900,000 people and active worshippers of about 600.000 in number or 22% of the resident population. The church as a body therefore, retains the largest organisation of and influence on people’s lives.
I know that it may shock some people (my family included) to be comparing at all the positive contributions of both to the quality of life of our people. However, with the retreat somewhat of the church and state from the social lives of the masses, the rum bar has to a large extent taken over, in the main, the function of organizing and coordinating many social aspects of community activity, entertainment and recreation, originally executed by those institutions.
For instance, I know an ambitious, beautiful, sexy young lady in my community. But it would always surprise and bother me (moral scruples?) that often times, when I am passing by one of the village bars, I would see her there. This is not just weekends, not just night-time, so it seemed to me that she and her friends spent a lot of time there. One day I pondered aloud why this was so in the presence of my driver. I immediately got an important lesson in Jamaican anthropology.
He took me to her home, a neat single room board house- where she lived with her mother and common law husband, two sisters, her own two children and her sister’s two children. They were relatively lucky however. They lived in a family compound with four other houses where other members of the extended family resided including tradesmen, farmers, nurses, clerical and construction workers. This naturally provides some traditional values and mores. He patiently conjured up in my mind how the majority of Jamaican people lived today.
Firstly in this scenario there is no real privacy, no room or time for introspection, reflection or even meditation. For information/recreation, the home might have a stereo and cable/tv, but everyone is restricted to watching or listening to the same programme.
Recreation, entertainment and self-projection must be sought outside of the home environment. Other than the churches, rum bars and dancehalls have become the only recreational space in which most people express themselves; make a statement of who they are, through the rituals of music and dance. Dancehalls and rum bars have become the only real avenues of social interaction and entertainment for the working class.
In most Jamaican communities today, the social facilities- community centres, church and school halls- and clubs of my youth- the cricket clubs (now mostly comatose due to lack of members), the uniform corps (scouts, cadets, marching bands), the SDC and police youth clubs as well as the CYO (Christian Youth Organisation) are either non-existent or for one reason or another, are no longer accessible, present or relevant in most people’s lives.
People are looking for new leadership structures. While a lot of people may take exception to my saying so, this social vacuum is quite ably filled by the operators of a new breed of rum bars that has evolved. Today this is where many people get their values and learn behavioural norms. These days the operators of a good rum bar organize a wide array of activities for its patrons such as partner saving schemes and round robins, social outings and trips (to the beach/river, stage shows, street and name brand dances, night clubs), birthday parties, theme parties (all white, black, Kangol), costume parties (nurse, school uniform), anniversary sessions (Valentine, Halloween, Independence, New Year) and talent contests (hot gal, champion bubbler, DJ). They organize the purchase of costumes and become sub-groups within the Carnival costume bands. The bigger bars accommodate skittles and pool players, dominoes and cards games, played sometimes for a round of drinks or cash prizes. These bars usually have various types of slot and gaming machines for their patrons’ amusement. The majority of small dances held in Jamaica are in fact round robins, which in themselves guarantee their financial success.
The more traditional and some rural bars still own and operate juke boxes. Every good bar, however, must have a modest sound system and selector, either fulltime or on weekends and special days. They are at the core, the root of the local entertainment circuit, serving to facilitate the spread of and generate interest in pop music. A very important function of the bars in Jamaica is that, along with the dancehalls, this is where the most current releases in Dancehall music are introduced and played each week. Every event (especially dance) promoter worth his salt knows the bars which his/her target audience patronizes and ensures that promotional flyers are prominently posted on their walls. Likewise, when the routing of motorcades is being planned, stopping for a short time at strategic bars is mandatory.
A relatively recent additional service which the more popular bars provide to the entertainment business is their use as a video set, sometimes using its customers as extras for the shooting of scenes for the music videos of Dancehall acts. During the last year alone in my community, Elephant Man shot scenes for his single Too Bad Mind at one- Mavia’s Bar. The facade of another- Rotty’s Bar was twice used as a video set. In March 2005, Mr. Vegas for his single Buck A Browning Down A Constant Spring and Marcus I for Better Day in November 2004. On these occasions, it is incredible to see how quickly word spreads. Soon the street is full of people in a carnival type atmosphere.
This is not to say that all the features are present in every bar. Bars come in many forms and sizes, with various stock and programmes. From the stall on the corner, scrimmage field or construction site, to the lounge, go-go clubs and modern sports bars- the many, many bars may incorporate one or more of these characteristics. Has it ever struck you that some of the most scenic spots in Jamaica are occupied by bars? Furthermore, bars are not the exclusive enclaves of the poor and working class.
I have many friends who totally discount the social worth of a visit to the bar and certainly would never themselves, be seen “hanging out” there. I have often heard people criticize Mark Wignall for an over-reliance on ‘bar talk’ for his sociological analyses. I am however not ashamed to confirm that in the last three and a half decades, I have spent quality time in this social atmosphere. The folk wisdom of our people has never ceased to fascinate me. I am always intrigued by the depth of perception and interpretation of world and local affairs and events. I have shared some frolicking and joyous laughter too. Jamaican people are very witty and have a knack of making light of things to ease their stress or pain and that of others. The kaleidoscope of personalities that visit the bar usually make the experience rich and colorful for me.
The days when it was frowned upon for females to grace the bar with their presence is long gone. People no longer see any inherent contradiction in mutually socializing at the bar as well as worshipping in church on appropriate occasions.
This is a social space, mutually occupied by representatives of most classes. The working class, however, predominates in terms of numbers and behavioural norms.
This, on the face of it, is good healthy fun.
© 2005 C.H.E. Campbell
It is said that Jamaica has more churches and rum bars per square mile than any other country in the world. I cannot verify the accuracy of the above but they certainly both impact significantly on people’s lives. Recent surveys show the church with a registered membership of nearly 900,000 people and active worshippers of about 600.000 in number or 22% of the resident population. The church as a body therefore, retains the largest organisation of and influence on people’s lives.
I know that it may shock some people (my family included) to be comparing at all the positive contributions of both to the quality of life of our people. However, with the retreat somewhat of the church and state from the social lives of the masses, the rum bar has to a large extent taken over, in the main, the function of organizing and coordinating many social aspects of community activity, entertainment and recreation, originally executed by those institutions.
For instance, I know an ambitious, beautiful, sexy young lady in my community. But it would always surprise and bother me (moral scruples?) that often times, when I am passing by one of the village bars, I would see her there. This is not just weekends, not just night-time, so it seemed to me that she and her friends spent a lot of time there. One day I pondered aloud why this was so in the presence of my driver. I immediately got an important lesson in Jamaican anthropology.
He took me to her home, a neat single room board house- where she lived with her mother and common law husband, two sisters, her own two children and her sister’s two children. They were relatively lucky however. They lived in a family compound with four other houses where other members of the extended family resided including tradesmen, farmers, nurses, clerical and construction workers. This naturally provides some traditional values and mores. He patiently conjured up in my mind how the majority of Jamaican people lived today.
Firstly in this scenario there is no real privacy, no room or time for introspection, reflection or even meditation. For information/recreation, the home might have a stereo and cable/tv, but everyone is restricted to watching or listening to the same programme.
Recreation, entertainment and self-projection must be sought outside of the home environment. Other than the churches, rum bars and dancehalls have become the only recreational space in which most people express themselves; make a statement of who they are, through the rituals of music and dance. Dancehalls and rum bars have become the only real avenues of social interaction and entertainment for the working class.
In most Jamaican communities today, the social facilities- community centres, church and school halls- and clubs of my youth- the cricket clubs (now mostly comatose due to lack of members), the uniform corps (scouts, cadets, marching bands), the SDC and police youth clubs as well as the CYO (Christian Youth Organisation) are either non-existent or for one reason or another, are no longer accessible, present or relevant in most people’s lives.
People are looking for new leadership structures. While a lot of people may take exception to my saying so, this social vacuum is quite ably filled by the operators of a new breed of rum bars that has evolved. Today this is where many people get their values and learn behavioural norms. These days the operators of a good rum bar organize a wide array of activities for its patrons such as partner saving schemes and round robins, social outings and trips (to the beach/river, stage shows, street and name brand dances, night clubs), birthday parties, theme parties (all white, black, Kangol), costume parties (nurse, school uniform), anniversary sessions (Valentine, Halloween, Independence, New Year) and talent contests (hot gal, champion bubbler, DJ). They organize the purchase of costumes and become sub-groups within the Carnival costume bands. The bigger bars accommodate skittles and pool players, dominoes and cards games, played sometimes for a round of drinks or cash prizes. These bars usually have various types of slot and gaming machines for their patrons’ amusement. The majority of small dances held in Jamaica are in fact round robins, which in themselves guarantee their financial success.
The more traditional and some rural bars still own and operate juke boxes. Every good bar, however, must have a modest sound system and selector, either fulltime or on weekends and special days. They are at the core, the root of the local entertainment circuit, serving to facilitate the spread of and generate interest in pop music. A very important function of the bars in Jamaica is that, along with the dancehalls, this is where the most current releases in Dancehall music are introduced and played each week. Every event (especially dance) promoter worth his salt knows the bars which his/her target audience patronizes and ensures that promotional flyers are prominently posted on their walls. Likewise, when the routing of motorcades is being planned, stopping for a short time at strategic bars is mandatory.
A relatively recent additional service which the more popular bars provide to the entertainment business is their use as a video set, sometimes using its customers as extras for the shooting of scenes for the music videos of Dancehall acts. During the last year alone in my community, Elephant Man shot scenes for his single Too Bad Mind at one- Mavia’s Bar. The facade of another- Rotty’s Bar was twice used as a video set. In March 2005, Mr. Vegas for his single Buck A Browning Down A Constant Spring and Marcus I for Better Day in November 2004. On these occasions, it is incredible to see how quickly word spreads. Soon the street is full of people in a carnival type atmosphere.
This is not to say that all the features are present in every bar. Bars come in many forms and sizes, with various stock and programmes. From the stall on the corner, scrimmage field or construction site, to the lounge, go-go clubs and modern sports bars- the many, many bars may incorporate one or more of these characteristics. Has it ever struck you that some of the most scenic spots in Jamaica are occupied by bars? Furthermore, bars are not the exclusive enclaves of the poor and working class.
I have many friends who totally discount the social worth of a visit to the bar and certainly would never themselves, be seen “hanging out” there. I have often heard people criticize Mark Wignall for an over-reliance on ‘bar talk’ for his sociological analyses. I am however not ashamed to confirm that in the last three and a half decades, I have spent quality time in this social atmosphere. The folk wisdom of our people has never ceased to fascinate me. I am always intrigued by the depth of perception and interpretation of world and local affairs and events. I have shared some frolicking and joyous laughter too. Jamaican people are very witty and have a knack of making light of things to ease their stress or pain and that of others. The kaleidoscope of personalities that visit the bar usually make the experience rich and colorful for me.
The days when it was frowned upon for females to grace the bar with their presence is long gone. People no longer see any inherent contradiction in mutually socializing at the bar as well as worshipping in church on appropriate occasions.
This is a social space, mutually occupied by representatives of most classes. The working class, however, predominates in terms of numbers and behavioural norms.
This, on the face of it, is good healthy fun.
© 2005 C.H.E. Campbell
Sunday, 1 May 2005
Think We Did Done
By: Charles H.E. Campbell
“Now yuh get what yuh waant, do you waant more?”
(‘Want More’ - Bob Marley)
The so called debate continues to swirl, but in all the hullabaloo, we forget one simple fact- Dancehall music does not portray uptown images. It is the voice of the inner city communities. It is the stories of life in the inner city- the wants, needs, unemployment, scarce benefits, marginalization, disenfranchisement and alienation. The best of Dancehall is uniquely creative and intuitive- who else can perform Capleton’s Or Wha or Small World, or carry out the on stage antics of a Ninja Man, Beenie Man or Elephant Man? The lyrics may be violent and crass, but this mirrors life in the inner city. Though we have also been bombarded by the slackness, since the 1980s and the gun talk in the 1990’s, the essential message of the music has remained constant since it emerged, even as social conditions in the urban communities have deteriorated.
“…Well, poor people fed up, to how the system sheg up…”
(‘Fed Up’ – Bounty Killer)
I remember attending the Vybz Kartel birthday bash held at the La Roose Night Club and Lounge three years ago. Bounty Killer aka ‘the Poor People Governor’ comes on stage and approximately five minutes into his performance he stops the accompanying music. He then proceeds, for two hours, to condemn the entire society for hypocrisy, injustice and abandonment of the youth and the inner city residents and hence a total lack of moral authority. Although his ‘sermon’ is liberally laced with gun talk, expletives and we get the obligatory abuse of gays and feminine dignity, this is relatively insignificant tonight.
Yes, those topics pale in comparison to his effective, eloquent treatise on and sentence of government corruption, politicians’ machinations, the police force and army brutality, the unjustness of the judges and legal system, the atrocities committed by the warders and the prison system, the uncaring churches and the formal business sector, the insularity of the intellectuals, the inertia of the universities and the dysfunctional education system, the bias in the media, the causes of crime and violence, uptown double standards, the older generation blindly holding on to power for too long, traditional (European) values and the lack of respect for the independent achievements of the discarded majority who through their own self reliance have created more than just hope out of hopelessness.
Meanwhile the bar and kitchen have stopped selling, the vendors on the outside all congregate at the grilled gates and atop the walls and the audience surges to the front of the stage so as to more keenly listen, participate and respond. He has them eating out of his mouth. This is the true power and worth of Bounty Killer and others, which the common man sees and experiences. Not the expletives and gay bashing for which they are appropriately censored by civil society and on which the press focuses.
The condemnatory voices calling for sanctions for these indiscretions have reached a shrill pitch, forcing some sponsors recently to distance themselves from this behaviour. It concerns me however that there is no equal hue and cry from these same conscientious ‘objectors’ against the conditions in the inner cities and their impact on the residents’ daily lives. It must appear to the average youth that civil society believes that by silencing these artistes they will solve the problems militating against the social peace and harmony.
Cutty Ranks’ ‘Better Day’ aptly represents these sentiments, “…woe unto dem who a fight the ghetto youth, tru dem nuh waan them fi rise and elevate from the root, woe unto dem who nuh waan speak the truth, after dem force dem into crime fi go loot and shoot…”
On the reverse side of this issue stand some other hardliners- those who wholeheartedly defend Dancehall music and culture uncompromisingly. This neither engenders nor promotes a real debate among stakeholders- no one side is prepared to listen to the next. So here are some matters that I suggest beg discussion and analysis especially by those of us in the music industry.
One wonders if there would be any debate at all if Dancehall wasn’t successful? Yes it does have an impact on the youths and yes, its stars become role models, because it finds empathy in the bars and dancehalls. In this surreal, bizarre, melodrama however, egomania slinks opportunistically, just below the surface. When the stars are elevated to idols with only minor achievements or they keep that status for too long, they begin to say and do things that hurt them and the people around them; a la Fantan Mojah at Western Consciousness 2005. Is it primarily because this is a sure way to gain notoriety and grab the attention of civil society, the media and by extension their fans. Which entities or interests most thrive on or benefit from the controversies spurred?
So do dancehall lyrics add to the violence? How about the words uttered by politicians? I am intrigued to hear some of the very same people who repetitiously spout this cliché, valiantly rationalize and redefine the meaning of the word ‘bangarang’ in our cultural dictum, as used by Bruce Golding. In the same context, isn’t media’s (especially TV) style of reporting on and treatment of the spiral of violence in the communities- manipulated by the instant stars that it creates nightly- help to precipitate the looming peril of the collapse of the state and the society? Is it a wonder that the dancehall hype and bling promote a materialistic, decadent nihilistic consumerism? Wouldn’t you say that the ostentatious buildings, trappings and lifestyles that we have come to associate with many local evangelical churches and church leaders display and reveal allegiance to the same value system?
It is no longer “96 Degrees In The Shade” (Third World)- Fire burning, I feel the “Fire Burning”. “Hell A Go Bruk Loose If Yuh Don’t Deliver Us” (Bob Andy). The basis for what is occurring now was laid more than four decades ago.
“You think it’s the end, but it’s just the beginning…” (‘Want More’, Bob Marley)
The first steps towards national rehabilitation and transformation, is a reawakening of our social conscience, helping the less well off while cultivating friendships between classes. As Marcia Griffiths says on the cut ‘Human Rights’ from her latest album, Shining Time, “…They don’t have no one to turn to, no one to give a helping hand, what about human rights, I don’t understand…” Remember “there will be no (lasting) peace until equal rights and justice stand for all” – Peter Tosh.
Barring natural or man made intervention, for the first time in 20 years we now have an economic platform which we can use as a launching pad for the social advancement of all our people and not just the ‘regarded minority’. What is missing is mutual respect for everyone’s self esteem, a national vision, one set of national ideals, objectives and strategic targets designed to “emancipate ourselves from mental slavery” (‘Redemption Song’, Bob Marley) that we all help to formulate and buy into.
© 2005 Charles H.E. Campbell.
“Now yuh get what yuh waant, do you waant more?”
(‘Want More’ - Bob Marley)
The so called debate continues to swirl, but in all the hullabaloo, we forget one simple fact- Dancehall music does not portray uptown images. It is the voice of the inner city communities. It is the stories of life in the inner city- the wants, needs, unemployment, scarce benefits, marginalization, disenfranchisement and alienation. The best of Dancehall is uniquely creative and intuitive- who else can perform Capleton’s Or Wha or Small World, or carry out the on stage antics of a Ninja Man, Beenie Man or Elephant Man? The lyrics may be violent and crass, but this mirrors life in the inner city. Though we have also been bombarded by the slackness, since the 1980s and the gun talk in the 1990’s, the essential message of the music has remained constant since it emerged, even as social conditions in the urban communities have deteriorated.
“…Well, poor people fed up, to how the system sheg up…”
(‘Fed Up’ – Bounty Killer)
I remember attending the Vybz Kartel birthday bash held at the La Roose Night Club and Lounge three years ago. Bounty Killer aka ‘the Poor People Governor’ comes on stage and approximately five minutes into his performance he stops the accompanying music. He then proceeds, for two hours, to condemn the entire society for hypocrisy, injustice and abandonment of the youth and the inner city residents and hence a total lack of moral authority. Although his ‘sermon’ is liberally laced with gun talk, expletives and we get the obligatory abuse of gays and feminine dignity, this is relatively insignificant tonight.
Yes, those topics pale in comparison to his effective, eloquent treatise on and sentence of government corruption, politicians’ machinations, the police force and army brutality, the unjustness of the judges and legal system, the atrocities committed by the warders and the prison system, the uncaring churches and the formal business sector, the insularity of the intellectuals, the inertia of the universities and the dysfunctional education system, the bias in the media, the causes of crime and violence, uptown double standards, the older generation blindly holding on to power for too long, traditional (European) values and the lack of respect for the independent achievements of the discarded majority who through their own self reliance have created more than just hope out of hopelessness.
Meanwhile the bar and kitchen have stopped selling, the vendors on the outside all congregate at the grilled gates and atop the walls and the audience surges to the front of the stage so as to more keenly listen, participate and respond. He has them eating out of his mouth. This is the true power and worth of Bounty Killer and others, which the common man sees and experiences. Not the expletives and gay bashing for which they are appropriately censored by civil society and on which the press focuses.
The condemnatory voices calling for sanctions for these indiscretions have reached a shrill pitch, forcing some sponsors recently to distance themselves from this behaviour. It concerns me however that there is no equal hue and cry from these same conscientious ‘objectors’ against the conditions in the inner cities and their impact on the residents’ daily lives. It must appear to the average youth that civil society believes that by silencing these artistes they will solve the problems militating against the social peace and harmony.
Cutty Ranks’ ‘Better Day’ aptly represents these sentiments, “…woe unto dem who a fight the ghetto youth, tru dem nuh waan them fi rise and elevate from the root, woe unto dem who nuh waan speak the truth, after dem force dem into crime fi go loot and shoot…”
On the reverse side of this issue stand some other hardliners- those who wholeheartedly defend Dancehall music and culture uncompromisingly. This neither engenders nor promotes a real debate among stakeholders- no one side is prepared to listen to the next. So here are some matters that I suggest beg discussion and analysis especially by those of us in the music industry.
One wonders if there would be any debate at all if Dancehall wasn’t successful? Yes it does have an impact on the youths and yes, its stars become role models, because it finds empathy in the bars and dancehalls. In this surreal, bizarre, melodrama however, egomania slinks opportunistically, just below the surface. When the stars are elevated to idols with only minor achievements or they keep that status for too long, they begin to say and do things that hurt them and the people around them; a la Fantan Mojah at Western Consciousness 2005. Is it primarily because this is a sure way to gain notoriety and grab the attention of civil society, the media and by extension their fans. Which entities or interests most thrive on or benefit from the controversies spurred?
So do dancehall lyrics add to the violence? How about the words uttered by politicians? I am intrigued to hear some of the very same people who repetitiously spout this cliché, valiantly rationalize and redefine the meaning of the word ‘bangarang’ in our cultural dictum, as used by Bruce Golding. In the same context, isn’t media’s (especially TV) style of reporting on and treatment of the spiral of violence in the communities- manipulated by the instant stars that it creates nightly- help to precipitate the looming peril of the collapse of the state and the society? Is it a wonder that the dancehall hype and bling promote a materialistic, decadent nihilistic consumerism? Wouldn’t you say that the ostentatious buildings, trappings and lifestyles that we have come to associate with many local evangelical churches and church leaders display and reveal allegiance to the same value system?
It is no longer “96 Degrees In The Shade” (Third World)- Fire burning, I feel the “Fire Burning”. “Hell A Go Bruk Loose If Yuh Don’t Deliver Us” (Bob Andy). The basis for what is occurring now was laid more than four decades ago.
“You think it’s the end, but it’s just the beginning…” (‘Want More’, Bob Marley)
The first steps towards national rehabilitation and transformation, is a reawakening of our social conscience, helping the less well off while cultivating friendships between classes. As Marcia Griffiths says on the cut ‘Human Rights’ from her latest album, Shining Time, “…They don’t have no one to turn to, no one to give a helping hand, what about human rights, I don’t understand…” Remember “there will be no (lasting) peace until equal rights and justice stand for all” – Peter Tosh.
Barring natural or man made intervention, for the first time in 20 years we now have an economic platform which we can use as a launching pad for the social advancement of all our people and not just the ‘regarded minority’. What is missing is mutual respect for everyone’s self esteem, a national vision, one set of national ideals, objectives and strategic targets designed to “emancipate ourselves from mental slavery” (‘Redemption Song’, Bob Marley) that we all help to formulate and buy into.
© 2005 Charles H.E. Campbell.
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