Mystic Revelation crowns the night with music THE POETRY Society's 'Poetry Fellowship' held Tuesday at the Edna Manley College of The Visual and Performing Arts was a night filled with the artistic ecstasy of 'lightning-and-thunder' poetry and soulful music from The Mystic Revelation of Ras Tafari. The Poetry Fellowship, an amorphous ever-growing gathering of amateur and professional poets, as well as individuals with a passing interest in the arts, meets on the last Tuesday evening of each month on the school grounds. The Fellowship got under way after 7 p.m. yesterday evening with regular moderator Tommy Ricketts inviting members of the audience to share pieces of their personal collections. The crowd of about 85 persons was treated to a thrilling mix of diverse genres ranging from humorous Creole to militant 'dread' poetry with its distorting wordplay, well balanced with complex issue-laden traditional pieces. The audience especially enjoyed the 'native language' poems of a Mr. Bryson, and Jamaicanised romances such as 'She Did Have A Blouse-and-Skirt Vibes'. Members of the audience, however, became frustrated as the quality of the poetry eventually fizzled out and the anticipation for the featured guest performers, The Mystic Revelation of Ras Tafari, grew. After Ras Basil introduced the group members, most of whom were elegantly garbed in bright African apparel and Rastafarian colours, Ras Sam Clayton prefaced the presentation declaring that "Good art is good art anywhere". He noted that there has been a distinct difference in the focuses of pre-Independence poetry, such as Wordworth's 'Daffodils', and its post-Independence component, but each genre served its contextual purpose. The Rastafarian group put poetry in motion with its musical ensemble using drums, a bass guitar, a shaker, a tambourine, a keyboard, a knocker, a trumpet and a trombone. They set the tone of an Afrocentric ambience to the evening, with an introductory greeting song in the Yoruba language. Mystic Revelation showcased their meticulous musical artistry as the aroma of the sweet harmony swept across the outdoor 'mini-amphitheatre'. Ras Sam interspersed the delivery with philosophical utterances typical of the socio-racial sensibilities of Rastafarianism. As the night slipped away, the ensemble encored with So Long Ras Tafari A Call Yuh, and the enchanting touch-drumming lulled the audience as they inhaled music and poetry and inhaled Africa.
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