The Global Spirit of Reggae Music

On the Sunday after Hurricane Sandy, with spirits somewhat restored, we spent the day with a new friend from Suriname. The gloom of the storm in the endless mists and forests of the Blue Mountains still weighed a little heavily, and our friend was far from home. So we endeavored to lighten her load (and ours, into the bargain) with a visit to the National Gallery of Jamaica.

We did not regret it.

As I noted in a recent post, a strong move is under way to “revive” the downtown area of Kingston. This can only work to the benefit of a cultural oasis like the National Gallery – a government entity, but certainly not dull or lacking in variety and vibrancy. The NGJ’s mission statement is “to collect, research, document and preserve Jamaican, other Caribbean Art and related material and to promote our artistic heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.” This is something which Executive Director Veerle Poupeye and Assistant Curator O’Neil Lawrence put into practice every day. Moreover…with her small and enthusiastic team, Ms. Poupeye has also, in her quiet, determined way, greatly expanded the Gallery’s outreach through innovative programs, such as its monthly Sunday openings (the last Sunday of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) These are free and include guided tours, musical interludes, children’s activities…and simply the enjoyment of permanent as well as current exhibitions.

Now, it is well worth while spending some time downtown, as we did, where the waters of Kingston Harbour sparkle brilliantly and the city somehow seems to regain its personality in the calm of a Sunday lunchtime. The day was quieter than usual, as the good citizens of Kingston pulling their affairs back together after the storm. But we had had enough of sweeping and cleaning and clearing up, and wanted to refresh ourselves; and we found many friends and acquaintances eager to do the same.

While we were away (or “off the island” as Jamaicans like to say) a remarkable exhibition opened at the National Gallery: the winners of the First International Reggae Poster Contest went on display. There were 1,142 entries from 678 designers in eighty countries – from every corner of the planet – an indicator, of course, of reggae music’s extraordinary global resonance. The first prize winner was Alon Braier, from Israel, who visited Jamaica for the exhibit opening. His piece was a serious portrayal of the “Roots of Dub.” The central figure, the engineer/producer, has one finger poised to press a button on the amplifier; in one corner, roots musician Augustus Pablo plays his haunting melodica tunes; in the other, a rather stoned-looking Lee “Scratch” Perry half-smiles, enigmatically.

First Place Winner (Alon Braier, Israel) – clearly a dub fan

 

Second prize, from Turkey, is completely different: a dazzling five-point, red gold and green star; third prize, from Italy, is a flowing portrayal of a singer  with birds nesting, resting and then flying from his dreads with the logo, “Riddim is Freedom”; fourth – and one of my personal favorites – from Poland, is a fine portrait of veteran reggae singer Winston Rodney (Burning Spear); and fifth is a Jamaican entry full of vigor and complexity by Taj Francis, a graduate of Kingston’s Edna Manley College for the Visual & Performing Arts. The “top ten” can be found on the contest’s website – link below; including #10, which I find quite beautiful, from Greece.

Second place: Zafer Lehimier, Turkey: Dazzling and vibrant.

All I can say is that we were so overwhelmed and impressed by the diversity of the 100 posters on show that we realized it must have been incredibly hard for the fifteen international judges to pick the very best. Some reflected the lyricism of roots reggae; some expressed the harder, more aggressive mood of dancehall and the first deejays; others simply celebrated the music, interpreting its messages for the most part as peace, love and harmony. I have posted a few other favorites of mine below, so that you can see the amazing range of moods and interpretations.

3rd Place: Rosario Nocera, Italy…. Free as a bird.

Reggae music is complex. It is not one thing. It is not just rhythm and baseline – although these are important components, to draw you in. It is so much more – and the “more” is what this ground-breaking exhibition encompasses – the quiet philosophy, the raw emotion of reggae music, for better or for worse.

10th Place: Dimitris Evagelou, Greece. The essence of Rastafari.

5th Place: Taj Francis, Jamaica. The Upsetter in all his colorful eccentricity.

4th Place: Tomasz Bartz, Poland – the one and only Burning Spear.

Now to the even more important part: The posters are to be auctioned off this weekend – yes THIS weekend – at the National Gallery of Jamaica on Sunday, November 11 at 2:30 p.m. All proceeds will go to the Alpha Boys School (which deserves at least another blog post for itself), where many of Jamaica’s musicians got their training with the Alpha Boy’s Band. Alpha Boys is no ordinary boys’ school; it was, in fact an orphanage, founded by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy in 1880 on Kingston’s South Camp Road. The flyer below shows Sister Mary Ignatius Davis, the iconic head of the school for an astounding 64 years, who passed away in 2003. The school teaches music and as well as academics has a strong focus on vocational training for boys from very deprived backgrounds (a number of them were homeless, alone, and without family, but Alpha takes care of them, gives their lives structure – and brings music). The illustrious alumni of Alpha include jazz trumpeter Dizzy Reece, singers Leroy Smart and Johnny Osbourne, pioneering dancehall deejay Yellowman; trombonist Rico Rodriguez; founding members of the legendary Skatalites, Tommy McCook, Lester Sterling and Dizzy Moore – among many others. What better beneficiary could there be?

The Alpha Boys are more than half-way downtown. Another important arrow in the bow that the poster competition has let fly is the campaign to build a Reggae Hall of Fame on Kingston’s waterfront. Something along the lines of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, which I have visited and which is a delightfully brash and enticing attraction on the lakeside, built of glass and steel. As a huge rock fan since the age of ten, for me it was like visiting a cross between a shrine and a garden of unexpected delights (their small but intimate exhibit on the Doors moved me nearly to tears, when I visited). I hope the reggae version might be something similar, for the true fan. On the Reggae Hall of Fame’s Facebook page (why don’t you “like” it?) Michael Thompson describes the vision as “a new approach for Kingston’s development, linking reggae with urban revitalization.”  Aha.

So there you have it. Please come down on Sunday to bid for your favorite poster – or, if you cannot afford it, just enjoy a final look at the exhibit. The exhibition officially closes TOMORROW!

For more details, visit the National Gallery of Jamaica website or contact them via their blog, Facebook page or on Twitter. Support Jamaican art, and especially this amazing initiative!

 

Alpha Boys Band get warmed up.

World-a-Reggae Poster Auction Flyer

Director Veerle Poupeye welcomes visitors to the National Gallery of Jamaica.

National Gallery of Jamaica logo in the colors of the Jamaican flag.

http://natgalja.org.jm/ioj_wp/ (National Gallery of Jamaica website)

http://nationalgalleryofjamaica.wordpress.com (National Gallery of Jamaica blog)

http://www.reggaepostercontest.com (First International Reggae Poster Contest: website)

http://www.alphaoldboysassociation.com/history.html (Alpha Old Boys’ Association: History of the School)

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120917/ent/ent2.html (Alpha Boys’ Home gets Royal Philharmonic treat: Jamaica Gleaner)

http://freestylee.net/tag/reggae-hall-of-fame-propaganda/ (Posters for Reggae Hall of Fame)

http://www.reggaehalloffame.com (Reggae Hall of Fame.com)

A Pause for Refreshment…and Art to Soothe the Soul (petchary.wordpress.com)

Sticks and Stones (petchary.wordpress.com)

What to See and Do in Kingston (channelvoyager.com)

Post-Sandy Cheer, Part One: Gastronomic (petchary.wordpress.com)

National Gallery of Jamaica’s Saturday Art-Time (repeatingislands.com)

National Gallery To Open ‘World-A-Reggae’ Exhibition (repeatingislands.com)

VIDEO: Hurricane Sandy hits Jamaica coast (bbc.co.uk)

A few more of my favorite posters, below:

 

84th Place: Mario Fuentes, Ecuador. Green, glowing, Inca feel.

97th Place: – Nazanin Tamaddon, Iran. Let’s Reggae!

14th Place: Miguel Cachia, Malta. The Legends.

70th Place: Dean Bradley, United States. The swagger of dancehall.

 

69th Place: Denni S., Indonesia – a lovely old time feel.

47th Place: Vilmas Narecionis, Lithuania – I love the delicate doves of peace. But then, I am a bird-lover.

37th Place: Corine-Campbell, United States – so fresh and youthful.

• Clarks, the shoes that tap to Jamaica’s reggae beat (guardian.co.uk)
• Heart on sleeves: 50 years of Jamaican album covers tell the story of a nation (independent.co.uk)