Euphoria filled the air as we joined the throng to celebrate Bob Marley’s 80th birthday at Emancipation Park. The concert was laced with television interviews with the legend himself, who dropped lines such as, “Possessions make you rich? I don’t have that kind of richness — my richness is life forever.” We could see his ‘forever’ in the fans of all ages, dancing and singing along to his music.

His ‘forever’ echoed from the stage with surprising acts like Jah Fabio and Antidoping from Mexico as well as Nonpalidece from Argentina declaring their love for Bob Marley and Jamaica. We heard the clean creations of Aza Lineage, Warrior King, and Bushman, taking forward the icon’s legacy of lyrical wisdom. We embraced Bushman’s appeal to our broadcast media to refrain from carrying vulgar lyrics, noting that the “bleeps” do not help, as young people will mentally fill in those blanks.

The Julian Marley we saw and heard was an impressive artiste, matured from his earlier years and projecting his father’s charisma. A Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) release quoted him on his recent tour with brothers Ziggy, Ky-Mani, Stephen, and Damian: “What we all walked away with was how our father’s music was really a godsend. Despite the passage of time, it still resonates with audiences in a powerful way…” Grandson Skip Marley, son of Cedella Marley, had the young ladies in the audience mesmerised with his love songs, reminiscent of Marley’s Turn Your Lights Down Low. They honoured Marley’s genius well.

This led us to ponder Marley’s challenging lyrics calling out hypocrites and ‘talking blues’. From Timothy White’s biography of Bob Marley, Catch A Fire: The Life of Bob Marley, we learn of the early trials of young Marley when he was sent to Kingston from Nine Miles, St Ann, for what his family thought would be a better life with a wealthier side of his family. He lived with and did chores for an elderly woman. When he was sent by her to Coronation Market, he saw a friend of his mother and tearfully begged to be sent back to Nine Miles. He was taken back to St Ann where he enjoyed harmonious family life until he moved to Trench Town as a teenager. White related the marginal conditions under which Marley lived, including the ragged bed which was provided for him at Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s studio.

Marley’s lyrics on inner-city living and society’s indifference to the poor’s suffering may have moved some in authority, but certainly not enough. At an event held last week, former Trench Town resident Owen “Ity” Ellis bemoaned the conditions of the community made famous by Marley in Trench Town Rock and
No Woman Nuh Cry. These are laden lines:

“… I remember when we used to sit

In the government yard in Trench Town

Oba-obaserving the hypocrites

As they would mingle with the good people we meet.”

Such conditions there and in other poverty-stricken communities became a breeding ground for gangs, attracting desperate young people from fractured families. I give Prime Minister Andrew Holness credit for being one of the most vociferous leaders in condemning gang violence and Project Star, brainchild of Keith Duncan, for giving us hope for a more peaceful and equitable future. Let us have faith and realise Marley’s Redemption Song:

“But my hand was made strong,

By the hand of the Almighty

We forward in this generation, triumphantly.”

We mourn Price Johnson

The Jamaica Observer’s Vanassa McKenzie gave the distressing report on “the brutal murder of a 14-year-old girl after she was sexually assaulted and stabbed multiple times by an intruder at her home Thursday afternoon”.

The victim, Price Johnson, was a ninth-grade student at Haile Selassie High School. The report described the grief of her distraught mother and comments of neighbours who described Price as “quiet and well mannered”.

The television reports were heartbreaking, as both teachers and students were shown weeping the next morning. One student described Price as a sister who always looked out for him.

We note the efforts of a brave relative who ran to her rescue and was wounded by the attacker. However, we were sickened by the revelation of a senior police officer that, instead of assisting the injured child, people were taking videos of her. When the police arrived, there were signs of life, but poor Price succumbed after they rushed her to the hospital. We wonder if there would have been a better outcome had those vile individuals offered immediate assistance.

Yes, there is a connection between the violent and vulgar lyrics and the behaviour of this lowest common denominator of our citizenry. In the words of Bushman, we must be careful about what we broadcast, because we are producing “a generation of vipers”.

DEI is a gift

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to Wikipedia, is the “organisational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been under-represented or subject to discrimination based on identity or disability”.

As this term is being used frequently in a negative way, singer Alicia Keyes averred at the Grammy Awards, “DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift. And the more voices, the more powerful the sound.”

Here in Jamaica, as we continue to develop legislation to protect our people, we are confounded that there could be anything wrong with organisations which embrace DEI. We dearly hope that DEI will once again be embraced.

Farewell, Dr Velma Pollard

We can never forget Dr Velma Pollard’s spirited dance to the live mento band at a CCRP outing to Milk River Hotel & Mineral Spa. Her joie-de-vivre, reflected in her warm smile, would charm her fellow members at various outings. The celebrated writer, who passed away at 87 on February 1, never rested on her laurels and was a mentor to many.

“Rest peacefully, Velma Pollard,” wrote the Observer’s Bookends coordinator Sharon Leach. “I will always remember your kindness, your interest in my writing, and your encouragement… and more than anything else, your relentless support of the Sunday Observer’s Bookends.”

In lauding Dr Pollard’s achievements, Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange remarked on her affirmation of Jamaican patois and her publications From Jamaican Creole to Standard English: A Handbook for Teachers and Dread Talk: The Language of Rastafari.

“Along with her sister, Dr Erna Brodber, also a critically acclaimed author, Pollard organised an annual Emancipation watchnight vigil in Woodside, where members of the community and the wider Jamaica could come and reflect on the significance of Emancipation,” noted Minister Grange.

Blogger Emma Lewis wrote a memorable tribute, ending with: “… her delightful, sometimes sharp humour, her warmth and her encouraging and sympathetic manner endeared her to many. She will be missed by Jamaicans of all ages, especially younger writers. Her passing leaves a gap in Jamaica’s cultural narrative, which she so effortlessly and warmly expressed.”

My deepest sympathy to Dr Pollard’s beloved family and friends. May her great soul rest in peace.

Jean Lowrie-Chin is executive chair of PROComm, PRODEV and CCRP. Send comments to lowriechin@aim.com.