Our young Calypsonians challenge
Besides this being one of my “lazy days” when I’ll quote heavily from one of my favourite controversial sources, today’s offering which will no doubt be familiar to my regulars, is informed by the fact that February is the African-American-inspired “Black History/African Heritage Month.”
So yes, I’ll incur the (quiet) wrath of my Afro-centric fellow-Guyanese with my usual questions which will follow the narrative, of African achievements many boast about justifiably.
Especially for young Guyanese of all races – young people of colour and those with less melanin who look paler in comparison – I repeat contentions by S E Suzar in his booklet not now easily acquired. But mind you, Suzar also quotes others, of other races, to bolster his sometimes controversial claims.
So here goes, once again: Boys and girls, did you know that Jesus Christ – God made man who walked amongst mortals – had to be a black man – by various definitions? Suzar quotes from the Bible’s revelations which describe the physical features of the Christ, Jesus.
If Jesus was a Nazarite (Nazarene), they had vowed not to cut their hair but to “let the locks of the hair of his head grow”. This is also to be found in the Christian Holy Bible and is embraced by today’s Rastafarians. (So couldn’t true Christian Believers have short, groomed hair?)
Then there is the complementary claim about all founders of world religions on all continents being “Black and woolly-hair” – Buddha exhibited “small tight curls, pepper-corn, corn-row style” and his “Africoid, wide nose, full-lips” in the earliest sculptures and depictions.
According to Suzar’s “Blacked out through whitewash”, Zaha of Japan, Fu-Hsi of China, Tyr of Scandinavia, Quetzalcoatl of Mexico, ISIS of Egypt, Krishna (the Black one) and Mohammed the founder of Islam – All were bluish in colour with frizzy hair, with Mohamed’s grandfather being “as black as the night”. Now let the criticisms begin!
Material inventions and achievements
Apart from the purely material, scientific and technological inventions by Africans, some Afrocentric scholars nearly exclude Europe and Asian contributions to world thought and development.
Anyway, try to refute these claims – that white Western civilization is founded on the ancient Greek civilization (which seemed to have suddenly appeared.) But Greek civilization itself was “the offspring of the advanced African civilization of Ancient Egypt” which preceded the Greeks by centuries. Even Greek legends concede the earliest presence of Egyptian and Phoenician conquerors ruled much of Greece.
Now to more mundane matters. (Not that Greek philosophy was built on Egyptian thought and scholarship, or that the earliest Greek and Roman Gods were all “Black”.) But that Africans gave the world maths, Arabic numbers, the original alphabets and universities. Paper, chemistry and the real father of modern medicine all emanated from African sources.
Ivan Van Sertima lists several very current, modern day inventors and scientists of his proud ancestry – and I love to remind of the Black African origins of open-heart surgery, leather shoes, air-conditioning, traffic lights – and ice-cream! Then I revert to my usual question.
So what?
I know African achievement was kept hidden, unwritten and not disseminated for centuries. I’m also aware that African history was both distorted and appropriated. But since it has been revealed; since the numerous “Black History Studies” in the numerous faculties of the modern universities, what have African-descended people done with their history of achievement?
Rodney reminds us of how the development of Europe correlated to the under-development of the African continent. (Cadbury’s of Europe? African cocoa!) It seems obvious that apart from their naked exploitation of the Third World’s natural resources, Europeans fashioned the minds of people of colour up to this day, even as they created the economic organization of the world as we now know it. No wonder when their organizations falter the world’s poor suffer.
Okay, I won’t go on, but does that background explain why our Afro-Guyanese don’t (or no longer) own or control – local manufacturing entities, laundries, pharmacies, commercial banks hardware stores or are auto importers? Think on these things during this period of your African pride.
Young calypsonians on show
Last Saturday Mashramani Junior calypsonians competition was highly interesting. The Linden contingent showed me that there is real hope for the art-form despite obvious challenges of creativity, quality and funding. The winner even demonstrated that, at least four of these younger calypsonians can sound far much better than a few of the adult pretenders. But during the contest I developed a few thoughts –even concerns.
Adult writers and composers write for the junior contestants the (adult) messages are sung and conveyed by the juniors. I started to hope that most of the young people agreed with the sentiments of the messages they were given to sing.
“Social commentary”, they say. Child-molestation, spousal abuse rape, HIV-AIDS – all these were themes given to Saturday’s competitors. As usual you could spot the top five easily.
“Teacher Bridget’s Annual Business” didn’t make it this year and one-time “Queen Ernesta” nearly bordered on the vulgar despite the attempt at Double-Entendre. Winner de Freitas will be a force to be reckoned with for sometime, I predict, but I want to mention something about originality.
Next time I’ll discuss the rules the “Calypso Judges” use. Two rules state that (1) “The calypso should not have been presented in any form prior to the competition” and that “the melodic structure is not recognised as an existing tune, in its entirety, or in part” Check that latter requirement. Is that possible these days? How much absolute originality exists today? Have we not heard some part before?
I feel, frankly speaking, that not much can be still original. It’s what a performer can do with the creation that preceded his present efforts. Very soon I hope to produce a radio or television programme illustrating that many calypsoes now being presented had their origins in other past songs. And this refers to our adult contenders especially. Co-incidence? Of course…
Ponder…
*1) The Deputy CEO of the GPL is Mr Aishwar Deonarine. Did you know that?
*2) Déjà vu for me! The Chronicle carries about 3-4 pix of the President daily!
*3) As the elections campaigns loom, look for specific letter writers on specific issues on specific pages.
*4) Mr. Vieira mentioned in print that he put the Lotto Boss to sit in a particular section of his home to begin a conversation. So that the Lotto guest could be taped without knowing it.
The moral here? Mind where you sit and what you say, in some people’s home.
‘Til Next Week!
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