Bob Marley, Pan-Genius
Products of Caribbean People

10, Jan 2000
Caribbean people as a whole have to be elated with Time Magazine's choice of Bob Marley's musical compilation, Exodus, as record/CD of the 20th Century. That is a huge attestation to the phenomenal creative powers and genius of this Jamaican poet and music artist. We certainly will not be guilty of overstating the claim when one considers how mind-boggling it is that this Caribbean region, of a mere five million odd people, only 165 years removed from being chattel slaves, human property, and indentured servants, could today, so shortly into freedom's time, produce and succeed in giving to the world a Bob Marley, creator of the selectively chosen music album of the 20th Century, and as well, pan, the only new, original instrument invented in the century.

We repeat. It is amazing that such a minuscule section of the world could have provided such gifts, such icons to the planet. However, what is the difference in approach to development and marketing that has caused the Jamaicans to obtain such accolades and acknowledgment for their son of the soil, while T&T's pan has largely been ignored by those who hold the power to define and classify? And mind you, Marley's recognition as creator of the album of the century is by and large subjective opinion. It is selective choice, whereas pan as the only original musical invention of the 20th Century is not opinion but historical fact.

That in essence should be enough to "jail" all the ringbang fools who assisted in organising, or engaged themselves as publicists for the fools involved in organising, the Caribbean leg of the so-called Millennium worldwide TV Broadcast.

Here was the ideal opportunity, the most crucial, spinal moment ever, to register the claim for pan once and for all. Those fools, those semi-idiots, to use the Jamaican term, betrayed this country's heritage as it has never been betrayed before. And have the audacity to ask us to pay for this. We say it now and we shall say it again. Pan is the musical instrument of the 20th Century. It is a billion US dollar industry that we keep messing around with, that as a result of giving the world this instrument we should make music, all kinds, compulsory in all schools, and that we should have nothing to do with anyone, albeit politician, priest, entrepreneur, teacher, economist, etc who does not have a pan agenda.

And there are lessons for calypsonians in all this. In describing Marley's Exodus album, Time Magazine says that "... every song is a classic, from the message of love to the anthems of revolution... but more than that the album is a political and cultural nexus, drawing inspiration from the 3rd World and giving voice to it the world over..."

In other words as with all good art, Bob Marley universalises his specific experiences as a product of the Jamaican urban underclass.

We recall a North American religious evangelist saying of Marley's work that it was the most musically potent, artistic transcribing of the Bible that he had ever heard. In other words Marley's work runs the full gamut of all human emotions and covers all the universal themes.. And yet our calypsonians cannot understand why calypso, despite their efforts over the years, is still being ignored internationally.

Is "Bam-Bam" and "Jump-up and Wave" worthy of international consideration? One North American sweetheart of ours asked, on hearing the "Jam-She" calypsoes, where is the romance?

Where is the range of moods? "Our language indicates who we are," says Dennis Solomon. "Dig in she Garden", "Ah slaughter ah ting, last nite", "Gimme iron" are supposed to be about sex and romance. And "ah going and put down ah wuk" is either about banditry or sex, yet we wonder about the levels of domestic criminal behaviour.

As long as the party calypsoes stay within this vein or stay with its purely localised topics and one-dimensional mood of joyful abandon, there shall be no question of international appeal.

To attain such appeal there are four basic requirements: the local themes have to be universalised in treatment, eg Penguin's "Deputy Essential" or any of Shadow's abstract treatments "Nobody is Nobody", "One Love", "I believe", "Poverty is Hell."

The full range of human emotions must be inculcated in the treatment. Human beings are not only about joyful celebration and abandon. We must also consider anger, nostalgia, compassion, depression, genuine love and romance, eg "Song for Lonely Soul." (Rudder)

There must be intelligent marketing and packaging; the spectacles, like Ringbang and World Beat concerts and exhibitions, are not the be-all and end-all of marketing and TIDCO officials must be told this , and the Ministry of Culture, through its director and staff must seek to vet and harness all public and private cultural efforts in order to streamline the final product and guarantee direction and purpose. No awards in any form should be given for any calypso with overdone references to "Jump and Wave," "Bum-Bum and Jam-She". The party calypso has a narrow specific purpose and it must be confined to Carnival partying. The other calypsoes; the "messages of love, the anthems of revolution that provide the political and cultural nexus ", those with the universal themes and range of human moods and concerns, are the ones to project.

Shall we enter the 21st Century without the will and vision to slowly and painstakingly and intelligently build pan and calypso our two major cultural products and harness their US billion dollar potential?