These young men of the Ardenne High School Drama Club perform Yasus Afari's 'Patwa Talkin' at the JCDC National Speech finals, held last Tuesday and Wednesday at the Little Theatre, Tom Redcam Drive, St. Andrew.
Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
The Speech Competition of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) Festival of the Performing Arts has been getting dubwise. The National Speech Finals ended on Wednesday, June 22, and of the 38 pieces presented 13 were in the dub poetry category.
The speech finals features competition in grand speaking, storytelling, dub poetry, public speaking, dialect, standard English, mixed standard and dialect poems or prose and experimental speaking. Most of these categories feature sub-categories for solo performances, as well as ensemble performances.
The impressive thing, of course, was not simply the number of dub poetry entries; it was the innovation with which many of the students, largely boys, tackled the genre. The change in the genre came about a few years ago when the Dub Poetry Ensemble category was created.
"It seems to give that original voice," said Andrew Brodber, subject specialist for speech, drama and the literary arts. "It seems to speak the language of the young men and, we find, the young women too." Brodber further speculated that the rhythmic nature of the genre is a significant part of its attraction. He also believes students have flocked to it because of the freedom in the language used, as competitors can use both standard English and creole.
"It gives them a freedom to create, a freedom to express themselves in the language they see fit," said Brodber. His statement about the creative urge which seems to be attached to the genre is of particular value.
Patrina Powell, speech coordinator with Holmwood Technical, noted that it is impressive that many of the pieces being performed are written by the students. "I think the boys are really feeling it as a space to be," said Powell. "You don't only see the talent on the stage," she continued, "most of the dub pieces are written by the boys."
Holmwood performed Di Life of a Poor Boy. It was written by one of their numbers, Audley Hastings. Like many of the pieces performed and in keeping with the dub tradition in general, the poem delivered social commentary. While several pieces took a more serious approach, Di Life of a Poor Boy managed to lighten its take on the subject's dire circumstances and also ended on a positive note as Johnny (after the questionable beginning of stealing a bucket and cloth to enter the car washing business) ends up prosperous.
Their performance in last year's competition with another of Hasting's pieces had also gone over well with audiences and was selected to be among the pieces staged at the Mello-go-Roun concert, which showcases the most entertaining pieces from the competition. Powell also explained that the group had also got some exposure and were invited to perform at various events. This year, the group seems to be heading even higher, having copped the intermediate trophy for Best Dub Ensemble (Boys).
Some performers drew on established poets. Oku Onuora's seminal work Reflection in Red was performed by Kerese Green of St. Mary's College, St. Catherine, while Yasus Afari's Patwa Talkin' was conquered by the Ardenne High Drama Club.
Patwa Talkin', arranged by the school's drama teacher, Susan Beadle, was particularly impressive, switching tempo and cadence with great ease. The performance earned the group the senior trophies for Best Dub Poetry Ensemble (Boys) and Best Tutor. Patwa Talkin' was also dubbed the Best Senior Speech Presentation.
great creativity
Another dub also went over well with the judges. The boys of Vauxhall earned the special award for Outstanding Ensemble Presentation with the piece Mek Wi Talk it Out. The piece expressed great creativity in choreography and conceptualisation, beginning with the theme of the movie The Good The Bad and The Ugly being played on recorder.
Not all the dub pieces were original works, however. Interestingly, one of these pieces belonged to one of the younger exponents of the competition, Christopher Gordon of the group Nomaddz. Brian Johnson of Ardenne performed Silent Tears. Indeed, Nomaddz may well be credited for some of the enthusiasm attached to the dub poetry ensemble genre, given the impressive nature of their break out piece Pressure, which highlighted the vibrant possibilities in the genre. The group had even attempted to further explore the possibilities of dub by staging a dub rendition of Romeo and Juliet, which was entered in the JCDC's drama competition.
willingness to experiment
Andre Hinds of Bridgeport High Cultural Group also showed a willingness to experiment with the genre. Hinds had two pieces in the finals. Ridim A de Drum was performed by the school's ensemble. His second piece, however, was not in the dub poetry category. Instead it was among the storytellers, as Hinds used dub to tell the story of a drunkard par excellence.
Though the genre is dominated by males, the girls are not to be left on the side. Seaward Primary and Junior High and The Queen's High School for girls both delivered impressive ensemble pieces. The former's Ghetto Life earned the intermediate trophy for Best Dub Ensemble (Girls), while Queen's earned the similar trophy in the senior category.
Brodber believes that the dub poetry ensemble category may prove so attractive to the youngsters because it allows for a very energetic approach. "It is much less still," he said, "and they prefer to perform and give the dramatic performance."
The attractiveness of the high drama seemed to bear out as another new category, experimental speaking, also seems to be catching on. Ardenne also delivered a delightful rendition of this with a remix of their school song, which blended
various styles of speech.
So, though it seems that dub is past its heyday maybe there is another one coming, with a change in the rhythm as the young get dubwise.
