“A reading man and woman is a ready man and woman, but a writing man and woman is exact.” ~ Marcus Garvey.

When I started high school in Jamaica, one of the highlights of this new experience was the ‘social’ also known as a ‘boogie’.  I suppose at the time the twin influences of the former colonizer (Britain) and the geographically closer US were competing.  My high school was located on a beautiful campus in the center of the island, on a hill surrounded by hills, in particular the Bull Head mountains to the north.  Down below the school buildings were the playing fields, and the old ‘great’ house Tavanore, which had once been the main school.  The socials were held on the verandah of that stately but crumbling structure, until the house mysteriously burnt to the ground one night.

The ‘socials’ were dances, music provided by a sound system, playing the latest records.  In those days, local music was rarely played on the radio.  You would hear ‘pop’ songs from the UK and the USA, and also Motown music, and some calypso.  The only local music that was played had to be approved.  It is said that some Jamaican musicians wrote lyrics that were quite nonsensical in order for them to get airtime.  ‘I had a little nut tree, and nothing would it bear for me, but a silver nutmeg and a golden pear alone’ comes to mind.  Meanwhile, the ‘rude boy’ lyrics of Prince Buster could only be heard on juke boxes and sound systems.

I can still remember those magical moments on the verandah of Tavanore, unfortunately the ‘boogie’ would come to an end once night fell, which comes early in the tropics, so those magic moments did not last very long! We would be dancing (with boys!) to the sounds of the Heptones, the Clarendonians, the Wailers (this was before it was Bob Marley and the Wailers) and Toots and the Maytals.  Unfortunately, one social came to an early end.  The teacher on chaperone duty shut it down when the DeeJay played Toots’ song: ’54-46 was my number’.  This song referred to the singer being jailed for marijuana possession (5446 was his prison number) and since it mentioned criminal activity, the dance was over and we had to go home (and it wasn’t even dark!).

As we got older, and the 70’s approached, the Black Power movement in the US combined with growing consciousness of the legacy of colonialism to affect song lyrics.  There was a need for Jamaicans to be more informed about their true history, including the evils of the enslavement of Africans and the white-washed version of history that had been handed down.  More and more the musicians were the ones to educate and groups like Burning Spear, Black Uhuru, Culture and more wove African culture and consciousness into their lyrics.  Bob Marley and the Wailers were the first musicians to not only embrace Rastafarian religion, but practice it, growing ‘dreadlocks’, eating ‘ital’ food, and incorporating Rastafarian principles in their music.  This was shocking at the time, for prior to this, Rastas (as they were called) were despised and scorned, seen as outcasts, not fit for human society.

The recent release of the Bob Marley biopic ‘One Love’ has stirred up (Stir it up, Bob!) a lot of controversy.  This began even before it was released as people were upset that the actors playing Bob and his wife Rita were not Jamaican (how could they possibly get the accents right?).  Fortunately, one of the excellent moves on the part of the producers was to hire experts and a dialect coach (the renowned Jamaican media personality and lecturer, Fae Ellington) who worked wonders on these two British actors.  My family looked forward to the opening, and decided to make it a family affair, even though it was a school night, as a celebration of this momentous occasion. 

I tried not to read too much about the movie before I went, as I did not want to be influenced by the opinions of others.  I also hesitated about writing a review after seeing the movie, for the same reason.  It was a wonderful experience for me, sitting in a movie theater, hearing mostly Jamaican accents (they were good!), the native patois, and most of all, being surrounded (in Dolby stereo or whatever that huge surround sound is!) by the lyrics, the music, the sound of Bob’s music.  It’s a good thing they haven’t figured out how to include smells in the movie experience, as we all might have come out with a contact high! There was nuff ganja smoking to be seen!

I was not bothered by the other pseudo-controversy as to whether Cindy Breakspeare (mother of one of Bob’s outside children) should have had more prominence.  Since two of Bob’s ‘inside’ children and his widow were involved in the production, it is only natural that they should have decided which of Bob’s perfect imperfections should have been on display. 

I have spent a lot of time since watching the movie reading the reviews (both positive and negative) of others, ignoring those that have been written by people who openly admit that they have not seen it. As Bob would say, they got so much things to say! I recognize that it is far easier to critique a finished product than to be a part of the making of something so vast.  My emotional feeling at the end of the movie was that it stopped short, but that is partly my own fault. I was not aware that the movie was only intending to tell a sliver of his life, a two year period which started with an assassination attempt and his self-imposed exile in the UK, and ended with his return to Jamaica for the ‘One Love’ concert. 

I believe that one of the most powerful things about the movie is that it has exposed how much more there was to learn about Bob.  He didn’t write a memoir, so much of his story is told by other people: band members, journalists, family members, managers, lovers, mentors, religious advisers and more.  And who knows what their agenda may be.  But we have his lyrics and recorded interviews.  With the box office success of the movie, many streaming networks are reviving older documentaries and interviews, so we are able to watch even more of his amazing life.  Bob’s One Love philosophy was a global message.  He was not only fighting for the underprivileged, the oppressed in Jamaica, he vocalized the struggles of oppressed people everywhere.  Which is why his message resonated across all continents, and why reggae has become the beat for rebel music the world over.  I recently watched a Maori musician singing reggae protest songs about the bloodshed and oppression his ancestors experienced.

This Friday morning, if you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to go and see the movie, whatever your background.  It may teach you things you didn’t know, or remind you of things forgotten.  But I also recommend that you look for those documentaries and watch the interviews to see the understated power of the man, his simple confidence and self-assurance in the life he lived, a life not for himself but for others.  And he only lived 36 years. Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste.