Elizabeth Bowen once said, “Art is one thing that can go on mattering once it has stopped hurting.(Bowen, Exploitation)” This rings true in terms of what art has done and continues to do for Caribbean peoples. In the Caribbean, art plays a very important and large role in the way people live their lives. In the days of slavery, art was used to help them cope with their daily traumas. Today, art is used to enhance and preserve Caribbean culture. Art has been used in multiple mediums to allow Caribbean people to express themselves, to challenge Western norms, and to showcase Caribbean culture. Through an analysis of music, dance, and celebration this essay will explore the ways in which Caribbean people resist, perform and represent the vibrant …show more content…
Marley’s lyrics, “How many rivers do we have to cross before we can talk to the boss? All that we got, it seems we have lost. We must have really paid the cost.” are an example of Marley expressing the mistreatment and oppression of black Caribbean people in Jamaica. When Marley says “All we got, it seems we have lost,” he is expressing how black Caribbean people were historically and contemporarily being stripped of their rights as humans. The experiences described in these lyrics are not unique to Jamaican people. They are relatable to many people throughout the Caribbean because they speak to the poor living conditions and inequality that black Caribbean 's across the region were experiencing at the time the song was conceived. Lyrics like these allowed people to express their pain and suffering, while at the same time creating connections between people in the caribbean. Songs like these acted as a reminder that people were not struggling alone. Political music, like Marley’s, and the expression of a shared struggle created a togetherness throughout the region of the …show more content…
Caribbean music often times would be used to spark resistance against imposed Western lifestyles and oppression. The song “Get up Stand up” by Bob Marley is a perfect display of music being used, not only as a form of self expression by Caribbean people, but the lyrics also promote resistance to oppression. Marley says, “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can 't fool all the people all the time. So now we see the light! We gonna stand up for our rights!” These lyrics clearly promote resistance against Western oppression faced by black Caribbean 's. The song encourages Caribbean people to fight for their rights and lets the Western oppressor know that they will not allow themselves to be
For centuries, music has been defined by history, time, and place. To address this statement, Tom Zè, an influential songwriter during the Tropicália Movement, produced the revolutionary “Fabrication Defect” to challenge oppression as a result from the poor political and social conditions. On the other hand, David Ramsey discusses, in mixtape vignettes, the role of music to survive in New Orleans’ violent setting. Furthermore, “The Land where the Blues Began”, by Alan Lomax, is a film and perfect example to understand under what musical conditions profound ways of communication are made to stand the hard work of cotton plantations. As a result, music plays a crucial role in the sources’ cultures and its creation relies on particular conditions such as the social
Fluorescent turquoise waters, a vibrant city culture, as well as an unending supply of mimosas and sunburns within a resort, benefits the common wealthy couple looking for a swell time. When people imagine the Caribbean, they probably visualize the soft sands of the Spice Island Beach Resort. Many people see the Caribbean as relaxing paradise. What people don’t understand, are the years of history hidden behind the mask of many resorts. In the book entitled “Empire’s Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day”, Author Carrie Gibson differentiates how people view the Caribbean nowadays, by altering their visualization with four-hundred pages of rich history and culture, that argues the ideology about the Caribbean
The ocean is what connects the people of the Caribbean to their African descendants in and out of time. Through the water they made it to their respective islands, and they, personally, crafted it to be temporal and made it a point of reference. The ocean is without time, and a speaker of many languages, with respect to Natasha Omise’eke Tinsley’s Black Atlantic, Queer Atlantic. The multilingualism of the ocean is reminiscent that there is no one Caribbean experience. The importance of it indicates that the Afro-Caribbean identity is most salient through spirituality. It should come to no surprise that Erzulie, a Haitian loa, is a significant part of the migration of bodies in Ana Maurine Lara’s Erzulie’s Skirt. Ana Maurine Lara’s depiction
Robert Nesta Marley, musically known as Bob Marley is Reggae’s most iconic and transcendent figure, “Get up, Stand up,” is a song that demonstrates elements of transcendentalism. The song explains about how people should not live their lives expecting to go to heaven after dying. Rather, they should have a purpose in their lives. The song also talks about how people should stand up for their morals and follow what they believe rather than believing others. Bob Marley chose to encourage people to depend on their beliefs and not let others to negatively interfere with their lives. The song also criticizes religious hypocrisy and instructs listeners to make their own choices.
Black art forms have historically always been an avenue for the voice; from spirituals to work songs to ballads, pieces of literature are one way that the black community has consistently been able to express their opinions and communicate to society at large. One was this has been achieved is through civil disobedience meeting civil manners. In this case, it would be just acknowledging an issue through art and literature. On the other hand, there is art with a direct purpose - literature meant to spur action; to convey anger and shock; or to prompt empathy, based on a discontent with the status quo. That is, protest literature. Through the marriage of the personal and political voices in black poetry and music, the genre functions as a form
...uence. In addition to this, Puerto Rican music demonstrates that although there was outside influence, the Puerto Rican identity still grew strong. This is demonstrated by the various protest songs, and the strong ties between musicians on the island and on the mainland. In the face of early US colonization, Puerto Rican culture came under the same conflicts as it did under Spanish rule, and reacted much in the same way. While US intervention may have masked the appearance of "true" Puerto Rican music and culture, the lives and the works of the Puerto Ricans themselves showed that it is possible both to accept new cultural themes and to struggle to preserve one’s native culture at the same time.
Reggae music is a meaningful channel for social change. Reggae music portrays resistance to oppression, it is a symbolic action, part of a nonviolent revolution. It is a type of rhetoric; a method of communication designed to influence and persuade. It is a message with a purpose, it represents a crystallization of fundamental issues. Reggae music asks the listener to reconsider our daily lives and to hear the cry of the sufferer, because so many people are suffering. The lyrics and music of Robert Nesta Marley gave reggae music international recognition. Bob was a charismatic performer who truly stands out as a prophet. There is clearly a prophetic overtone to his lyrics yet he was only given the prophetic status after he died. His lyrics operate on a deep level, yet they typically relate to everyday occurrences. Bob's music was and is a powerful force to ease the pain of life in the ghetto. He embodied a feeling of empowerment, and encourages all listeners to 'chant down Babylon'.
Perry Henzel's The Harder They Come is credited with a significant and unique role in introducing American audiences to reggae. Whereas earlier cinematic crossmarketed films like A Hard Days Night or Help! were adjunct to and dependent on a group's previous commercial musical success, Henzel's film was for many an introduction to reggae and both precursor and impetus for its international impact and commercial popularity. The film's status as a cult classic and phenomenon, to the extent a phenomenon can be explained, perhaps rests on its lack of commercial pretentions or promotional glitz, and thus its authenticity. The rhetoric of this film -- its images, words, and music in complementary array -- is rhetoric in the best sense because it uses the power of language to reveal, not to disguise, the unconscionable constraints on the lives of poor Jamaicans. Principally it's a film by a Jamaican artist about some musically and culturally significant events happening in Jamaica at the time, and though it is formulaic as films tend to be, it also encompasses all of the majors themes and conflicts that define and swirl around reggae music: spirituality, sensuality, commercialism, social justice, the messiah, and even Armageddon, though its tenor is decidedly secular
“In Caribbean popular music, there is no shortage of songs whose representations of gender, from a North American liberal or left perspective, would seem controversial.” (Manuel, 1995) This statement gives insight into the fact that the Caribbean, as a cultural space, is adept at introducing gender issues to the content of musical expressions. It is not only from the perspective of North America that such content would be viewed as controversial, as many analyses have been done based on such an assumption within the Caribbean itself. However, Caribbean popular music is arguably prominent outside the region and has contributed to the formation of several social realities as to how gender roles are appropriated and construed.
Bob Marley expresses his belief that music is a message and route to freedom in the song “Trench town.”
Bob Marley’s music expressed his views and understanding of the world that influenced many in their own views, he brought several worldwide issues to millions of people’s attention such as social injustices and corruption. Marley’s music was inspirational, the realness of what he spoke of opened many people’s eyes to what is really going on in the world at the time, his music can still be related to today. “Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?” -Bob
Marley was born into Jamaica’s poverty and it is where he developed a strong love of reggae and became a Rastafari. Reggae, evolved from another musical style called Ska in the late 1960’s, is considered the voice of the ‘oppressed’ peoples. Many reggae lyrics are politicalised and centre on themes of freedom and fighting for it. (Cooper, 2014)
As the Hispanic Caribbean has evolved it has managed to grow and thrive beyond belief, whether one is discussing art, music or just the culture alone the Hispanic Caribbean is truly reaping the benefits of allowing themselves to be influenced by many other cultures. While the Hispanic Caribbean is thriving they are still facing the many new found struggles that come along with the territory of becoming more affluent as well as more accepting to other cultures and their beliefs. Often with the growth of large proportions comes many problems, problems also can come about when incorporating of different cultures as a whole as well as just bringing in their beliefs and mannerisms. None the less it can be argued that the struggles being faced in
King, Stephen; Jensen, Richard,(1995) Bob Marley's "Redemption Song": The rhetoric of reggae and Rastafari Journal of Popular Culture 29.3
The way in which Benítez-Rojo and Mintz tackle the question of Caribbean identity in their articles, is a removed, objective ideal, in contrast to Michelle Cliff’s portrayal of Jamaican identity. Cliff’s portrayal touches the heart and soul of Caribbean identity. While Mintz and Benítez-Rojo are investigating trends in the Caribbean as a whole, from an outside perspective, Cliff offers the personal, tactile imagery of what it is to live in the Caribbean, utilizing the objective account of history as a background. Furthermore, Cliff deals with Jamaica, one island in the Caribbean, while Mintz and Benítez-Rojo are dealing with the Caribbean on a grand scaled overview. The fact is neither article can be taken as complete truth. In fact, although Cliff uses history in her novel, I believe the account of history from someone who has completely accessed the interior of a place, is always going to be biased. Likewise, Mintz and Benítez-Rojo in making their hypotheses, are lacking an insider’s view. It is the difference between a Caribbean person and Caribbeanist, respectively. Therefore, while on a logical level, an analytical level, Benítez-Rojo and Mintz’s, conclusions as to Caribbean identity could rightly be accepted, these two authors do not possess the experience and intensity to make me as a reader, convinced of their conclusions.