Ian BoyneIf Jamaica is to make a serious advance in its war against disabling values and attitudes, then the popular culture, more particularly music, has to be used as a vital part of the artillery.
Rather than merely cursing the darkness of negative dancehall music, with its promotion of violence, crude materialism and vulgarity, it is time we actively support those dancehall artistes who are doing positive work and who are consciously challenging the negative ethos in the dancehall. The crime hot spot of Spanish Town has been relatively quiet over the past few months. Among the positive trends in that area has been an initiative called Just for Peace, which involves the promotion of artistes who have been using music to foster peace and reconciliation.
Youth from the inner-city communities of Tawes Pen, Rivoli, Windsor Pen, St. John's Road, Central Village among others have been recruited to be part of this programme. The youth are then featured on the community cable station JACS and Link TV and given the 'big up' for their work. Rather than using the gun to gain recognition, which all human beings crave, they use positive lyrics to gain the "forwards".
A major figure in the Just for Peace programme is Owen Rowe, a.k.a. Alpha Rowen. No longer a youth, but a positive role model among ghetto youth, Alpha Rowen is passionate about using music to advance the interests of the majority, particularly the downtrodden and oppressed. He speaks feelingly about those deejays who have abandoned any sense of social responsibility and who believe that it is okay to just mechanistically and mindlessly "reflect reality".
Alpha Rowen has experienced all the harshness of ghetto life. He told me that he has had to literally run away from violence on several occasions, something that would earn him some uncharitable and unprintable names among the dancehall massive. Unless a way is found to promote artistes like Rowe, we will continually bemoan the 'gun hawk' lyricists who are the role models of the shottas and terrorists in the inner-cities.
'wicked gun tune'
Ghetto youths are not so foolish that they don't know what is in their immediate interests. If they can sing some 'wicked gun tune' and get big stage billings, prominence from the sound systems and airplay, then why should they be singing about culture, rights and peace? A way has to be found to "incentivise" good lyrics. Big money has to be put behind this. Some of the international aid agencies and foundations which are giving funds for social intervention programmes need to channel some funds in promoting talented artistes who are setting their face against the debilitating values.
Non-governmental organisations should seek funding from the Inter-American Development Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development, UNESCO, the Canadian International Development Agency and other bodies to get big bucks - multiple millions of dollars - to fund a re-socialisation programme using music as a main vehicle. You have to create something with the hype and crowd-thriller of a Rising Stars to create an impact. The little 'fool-fool' funding which is given to positive initiatives won't make a dent in the anti-social attitudes which Jamaica is struggling with.
It's time we stop talking and start doing something. We can't depend on the big corporate sponsors which are now throwing their money power behind the decadent dancehall artistes and stage shows to come on-board to do something to help the nation. They are just interested in selling their products and reaping huge profits. To hell with whether what they are promoting really end up taking the lives of ghetto people. They live in Norbrook, Cherry Gardens, Smokey Vale, Stony Hill, Red Hills etc.
Deploring violence
They will give their speeches deploring the violence in the society, the negative attitudes toward women, the escalation of carnal abuse, rape etc., but don't tell them to use their dollars to pressure negative dancehall; they will have none of it. Some of them were forced to take some gesture against certain artistes after vociferous gays abroad brought pressure on those artistes, but when they reminded themselves of their reason for being - to rake in profits - they quickly rescinded their 'boycott' and jumped back on to the dancehall bandwagon. Some of the prominent dancehall artistes had publicly said before the companies crawled back onto the dancehall ship
that they (the big fellows) had to bow to them because they needed them more than they (the artistes) needed the sponsors. So we can't depend on those corporate people.
But what is the Government doing with its significant funds which it has for promoting culture? The Government puts on cultural events. How much attempt is made to find artistes who have been making a statement against violence and the commodification of women to feature them on these shows? Sometimes respectable agencies use some of the same degenerate dancehall artistes on their shows.
Artistes like Alpha Rowen need to be on shows so that their positive message can be carried. I was struck by one song which Rowen has done titled "Decent Girl". In a culture which glorifies promiscuity and whose fatherlessness is at the root of our crime plaque, Rowen sings:
"I'm looking for a decent girl
One to be my Miss World
I no want three nor four
A one girl me searching for
A said a looking for a decent girl
One to be my Miss World
I no want three nor four
A just one to give her loving galore".
This is the kind of message we need to mainstream in the society. But it won't go as far as Beenie Man's "Gal Inna Bungle" ifwe are to depend on the media houses and the dancehall promoters. This is where civil society has to step in with social engineering funding. Listen to this conscious artiste some more
No want no girl weh x-rated
Weh in front the world she just a strip herself naked
Fi everyone go see how her flowers bloom
Me want a girl weh keep that inna we bedroom
No want no girl weh just a run her body red
Weh Mr. Hype and bling bling control her head
Me want a girl weh upfullness she adore
Just naw sellout no matter how she poor".
Imagine the power of these lyrics heard over and over again and becoming a part of mainstream inner-city culture, Well, it might not be mainstreamed. But give it a chance to compete against what the slackness gods and goddesses are offering. It can't be given a chance without money. The media managers, with all their big talk and political correctness about the importance of values, social responsibility etc. etc. are concerned about the bottom line primarily and they are going after ratings and big sponsorship dollars.
If you want a positive message, you darn well have to pay for that. If you have enough money they will give you the spots and the hype for your positive message. Hence, my call to concerned people in the society to stop wasting your effort trying to appeal to the good sense of corporate companies, media owners/managers. They are not going to feature and big up positive artistes and values just so. It's not going happen. Get some big sponsorship money for an emergency cultural intervention programme.
Speaking against the materialistic and hedonistic values which blind so many in the society, Rowen continues in his Decent Girl track:
No want miss Vanity Fair nor materialistic
Weh bout the coil when she hear Ancient Mystic
Me want a girl weh futuristic
Tun her hand mek fashion and ready fi share one biscuit".
Music is a powerful agent of social change, usually morethan preaching, lecturing and sometimes even role modelling. Our dancehall music is powerful. We must not devalue it, as some do, thinking that it is the form itself which is bad. As part of our self-negation and cultural backwardness, we denigrate our dancehall music thinking it is necessarily inferior to the music of Europe and elsewhere. Only those who have not seriously listened to dancehall music can say that the artistes have little creativity and artistry. Some of our dancehall artistes are geniuses with lyrics.
And my challenge to the positive dancehall fellows is that they can't be a whit behind the most prominent dancehall artistes who have used their craft with destructive effects. You have to be twice as good to command your own. The rhythm has to be pulsating, catchy and irresistible.
The gospel dancehall artistes have been a fine example. When you listen to Stitchie , Papa San, Nicholas, Goddy Goddy, Prodigal and Prodigy (Ryan Mark), Gallimore and others you see that they are on par with the negative dancehall artistes.Chevelle is not behind Alaine, the Chin Girls or any of the other secular artistes who are mere entertainers.
The Just for Peace initiative in Spanish Town should be replicated in all the hot spots in Jamaica. Those of us who want to see a dancehall baptism must do everything to support these initiatives.
Ian Boyne is a veteran journalist who may be reached at ianboyne1@yahoo.com.
