strainer10 ([info]strainer10) wrote,
@ 2004-08-01 15:19:00
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Current mood: ecstatic
Current music:Reuben - Sorry

Weekends
As you might be aware already this is the week of many breaks. Independence day and Emancipation day (I feel the urge to burst out into Bob's song "emancipate yourself from mental slavery"), I was by utech yesterday (30/7/04) by the auditorium and they were about to hold a Independence show entitled "Our Heritage." I was just there watching the rehearsal which consist of little girls dancing to elephant man and many more artist. Now can someone please explain to me when Elephant man's songs have become part of our heritage.

Growing up I use to enjoy the "Festival Song Comptetition" and the went and change it to the "Popular Song Festival". Can anyone remember Roy Rayon, The Astronaut's and songs of that nature, now you can enter with anything, I am surprised that I haven't heard Rap as yet. The things I have seen that have changed over the years....I remember as a child beating out the soda bottle covers and boring two holes in them and running string through them to make a "zinger" (the name might be incorrect) only to see someone selling one (that looks like it came from a factory) yesterday with all the bells and whistle (light flashing), I remember the days of running up and down in harbour view with my wheel and wire, playing with gigs.

As far as I know isn't that part of our heritage, but we are in the Nintendo generation (Generation X) and the things of the past are kept in the past. I don't see anyone making trucks out of empty drink boxes.....I miss those days of using a bingy (slingshot) to hunt for birds in the hills in harbour view. On the matter of our heritage I remember as a child my mother would take me downtown to see the Jonkanoo doing there thing on King Street, there are so many things that have disappeared over the years....what can we do to bring them back?


This is a bit long.....but there are something that are important. As they say you need to know where you are coming from to know where you are going.


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Independence....
(Anonymous)
2004-08-01 03:09 pm UTC (link)
Strainer...Doc is with you on dis one. I remember the Festival Song that made a lasting impression on me as a chld was Cherrio- Baby! I actually remember calling RJR as a yute and requesting it one day. The name of the artiste slips me still!

True still...me nuh know how Elephant Man becomes part of our heritage, but then again, there may be those who might argue that in saying so we being prejudiced. As fe de likkle school girl dem a whine up demself.....you notice seh anytime dignitaries come from foreign...a dat dem have as entertainment!? Lawks bwoy.

I remember when we used to have Street Dance Independence night up here in Grove weh me live. It used to irie. Dat cut out long time now....the hooligan dem did start piss pon people lawn and ting.....what a way we can specialise in frigging up all the good tings bout we likkle island home eh my yute? Anyway, yard still sweet sah. Enjoy the holiday tomorrow and keep up dem kinda post yah....respec.

(Reply to this)


(Anonymous)
2004-08-01 05:56 pm UTC (link)
Strainer, I enjoyed this post, although I am not sure that I agree with it fully... Yes, Jonkunnu was a part of our culture, although I don't rate it... I was never taken to see it and I don't really identify with it. The Maypole sinting and the dancing that they show elderley country people doing, that is also a part of our culture, and I quite like that part. The thing is this. Culture is more a flow than a static thing. It is a living thing, almost. It embodies the way we think, what we do, how we behave... We make our culture. As an example, look at England. At one time they used to lock up and torture people in some big prison or other there, andI hear that if you visit the place, they will take you to visit it... Thay don't do dat stuff anymore though... their culture has changed.
Ours is also changing. The maypole, the jonkunnu, those things are now more things of the past. I hope they somehow manage to keep it alive still, but it is past. Music, which is a part of culture, also changes. One time we had ska, now its dancehall... it is a part of our culture too. I for one think that it SHOULD change, and be moving with the times.
I am glad that our 'festival' songs don't sound the same anymore. We are not the same people now as we were back then, and young people wouldn't appreciate some of the older stuff much. Even though the music has changed, it is still Jamaican music. Personally, I want to see them move certain aspects of our music to another level still, but what can you do...
Anyway, I enjoyed your post, it made me think a bit, and to tell you the truth, I have felt a bit brain-dead recently, so thanks... You have been linked, btw. TTYL
Mad Bull (http://www.madbull4.net/weblog/)

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Agree and Disagree
[info]angrydog
2004-08-02 07:17 am UTC (link)
Well Strainer, I have to commend you on an excellent post this morning sir. I definately agree with a lot of the things you are saying and yes, I too long for the good old days. Now I cannot say I'm a total dancehall fan, some songs I listen to and dance to, but others sound like recycled trash. But what we have to remember is that, good or bad, dancehall is a part of our culture just as much as Jonkanoo and Maypole is. I'm sure that when people like Ms. Lou started to buss out on stage with patois, it shocked many of the more conservative Jamaicans in the day and lest we forget that music by people like Pluto Shervington, The Skatallites and so on were once considered scandalous. Now, I'm in no way saying that Elephant Man or Bounty Killer are on the same level as Ms. Lou, but they do reflect a different part of our culture that makes us unique to the rest of the world.

Speaking of which, I going to mek a zinger later [if I can ever find a good old bottle cap instead of the plastic caps that they put on the plastic bottles here]. Matter of fact, I can't even tell when last I see juice inna box to backside.

{arf,arf}

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Update dis Rass nuh man!
[info]angrydog
2004-08-04 09:18 pm UTC (link)
Yow sah,
Update the rass website nuh bredda! Is weh a gwaan wid u? mine mi haffi tell di docta fi hire two coke head fi come check u u know!

{arf,arf}

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