'Walk And Don't Look Back'

Drumbeats, guitar strings and strong vocals encapsulate history of Jamaica

Published August 19, 2012

Sunday Gleaner

This is a narrative of Jamaica told on a musical crescendo, no bungarung just the words of Jah. Equal Rights: Reggae and Social Change, is seeking to transform the bare walls of the Jamaica Music Museum stringing notes of this truly Jamaican genre.

“Since reggae is Jamaican, we have used it to convey the message,” informed Herbie Miller, director/curator of the Jamaica Music Museum. “It is a journey highlighting socio-political and spiritual sensibility.”

The edifice of the museum, housed in downtown Kingston, has been sprinkled with framed album covers and posters, which chronicles a phase of the island’s history.

The exhibition, Miller informed, has been inspired by the late Peter Tosh’s 1997 album titled, Equal Rights and traces the phenomenal power that music has had over the Jamaican people, since the 16^th century.

“Cover art speaks visually, giving sight to the cultural information in the music.

“What we see are album covers and what the music they enwrap.”

The journey of the time capsule beings with the ‘Cult’ music covers, Bongo, Backra, Coolie, reminiscence from the colonial era, with black and white photos of the master with the plantation workers. This makes transition to the Mento, workers in clockwork precision beats coupled with metal hitting the stones as they sweated, poured their heart and soul out as they worked in the tropical sun.

From the retro photos the musical voyage moves to caricatures, which is an amalgamation of stereotypical but creatively done artwork. “This is the time where the people are being seen from the white (man) eyes, pouted lips, pearly white grin, seductress poses, it gives the message to come to Jamaica,” said Miller.

The realm of the ‘happy go lucky’ Jamaica transitions to Ska depicting plain and modern art building the crescendo of social change as the legendary Bob Marley and the Wailers resonate ‘Get Up Stand Up’, evolution of musicians on the frontline of social change.

 The walk in gallery, the visitor is presented with intertwine of memorabilia from different genre of Jamaica’s musical history. The exhibits which are spread across two rooms, have Miss Lou as a focal point, exemplifying the matriarch who paved way for women in music, depicted by album covers of Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths adorning the wall.

“We are looking to the arts as a primary source of history,” Miller said. “And music marks one of those moments in history.”

Equal Rights: Reggae and Social Change strives to, in a nutshell, highlight the richness, greatness and the worldwide appeal of Jamaican music, peaking in all its glory spreading the message…One Love!

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The Jamaica Music Museum, which is a division within the Institute of Jamaica, is the archive, research facility and exhibition space for Reggae and other Jamaican musical forms.  The museum showcases an array of formats from rare musical recordings and oral histories of reggae, Jamaican music greats and the lesser known figures to musical scores, photographs, films, research files, business records, personal correspondence and musical instruments that belonged to eminent Jamaican musicians.

"Equal Rights: Reggae and Social Change" forms a part of the Jamaica 50 celebrations is being held at Waterlane Gallery and goes on till August 5, 2013. For more information contact Institute of Jamaica, 10 -16 East Street, Kingston, Phone: 1-876-922-0620.