Dear Editor,

I found it interesting that Jamaicans are concluding that a Japanese didn’t get the language right as the reason for her not winning the recently concluded ‘Magnum Kings and Queens’ competition.It is the same narrative spewed by a Hollywood director recently regarding Jamaican films not being able to make it into the mainstream film market. This kind of protectionist, nationalist, “languagist” philosophy is baseless. Art is about evoking feelings in the audience and this can be done in various ways, not just with the use of language. In no way was “Rankin Pumpkin” in keeping with dancehall’s standards, but the reason was not a lack of command of the Jamaican language. From what I saw, she had some presence, a little mystique, and obviously some voting public support, but she lacked the flow that makes dancehall what it is.A dancehall clash is an intimidating, gladiator-style sport. It is a mental game of wit that is won before you enter the ring, like a boxing match. Rankin Pumpkin’s opponent ,“Suspense” proved that she was better prepared for the sport with her costume and props to support her lyrical imagery. A dancehall clash is heavily dependent on the crowd’s energy, so had Rankin Pumpkin focused on her supporters who got her to the finals she perhaps would have represented herself much better.Note that all the contestants on

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall are amateurs going for the top prize. The finals needed more than just her mystique. Rankin Pumpkin needed to come with the power of sound in her words, English or Japanese, to secure the win.The alleged threats and racist intimidation she received have been a part of dancehall’s culture for many years, and they have no place in a growing culture. That kind of primitive expression towards things some Jamaicans do not like is akin to toxic partisan politics and the homophobic utterances that get people killed in Jamaica. This is backwardness.I maintain that Jamaicans cannot afford to be racist or even protectionist because there is nothing to protect. When Japanese or Canadians use Jamaica’s culture to plan concerts or to make crossover hit songs it is not appropriation, rather it is colonisation in reverse, according to Miss Lou. We should be focused on sending the culture out to the world to colonise the world in subtle ways — using dance, music, drama, films, and other visual expressions so that Jamaicans may be respected for everything that we are.Years ago, international CEOs wouldn’t be seen at dancehall events. Nowadays they can be seen on social media rocking to the latest song. Maybe when the world is fully colonised, with dancehall having ambassadors all over the world, influential Hollywood directors and others will appreciate that the creativity and language of the Jamaican people should not be proscribed from entering the corridors of gentility on international stages and screens. 

Donovan Watkis

coloringculture@gmail.com