By Tanya Batson, Staff Reporter 
Carolyn Cooper
THE NEVILLE Hall Lecture Theatre was once again home to another in the lecture series by the Reggae Studies Unit on Friday night. The title of the night's lecture was 'Reggae Dancehall Culture in Germany'. While the attendance was low (only 20 persons were present), Dr. Carolyn Cooper pointed out that it was higher than she expected, given that it was the end of the semester.
To create the atmosphere for the lecture, Ellen Kohlings and Pete Lilly, editors of Riddim magazine, papered the white board with posters featuring stage shows in Germany. At a glance, this was not readily noticed as the posters looked much like ones advertising local shows. They boasted headlines such as 'Blessed Love Presents a Night Called Rudeboys Juggling', 'Reggae Summer Live Shows by Buccaneer and Red Rat' and 'Fire Fi Blaze' among others.
The posters themselves revealed the lucrative possibilities that Germany and the rest of Europe offer to Jamaican artistes. Additionally, the fact that many Jamaican artistes had already engaged in collaborative measures points out that some artistes are well aware of the potential and are using it.
WEE POW'S QUOTE
Ms. Kohlings began the lecture with a quote by Wee Pow (Stone Love selector) after a visit to Germany wherein he stated, "It was really amazing to see what dancehall is doing in Europe. It's not just the music, it's also the culture." This set the tone for the evening, as Ms. Kohlings and Mr. Lilly explained how reggae and dancehall developed in Germany and how greater understanding of the Jamaican culture helps to facilitate this.
Several of the comments the two made highlighted the importance of a greater understanding of Jamaican culture and language among the fans in Germany. First, they mentioned that while many Germans flocked to Bob Marley during the 1970s, it was mainly a case of misunderstanding. Mr. Lilly pointed out that while Bob was able to fill the needs of young hippy-Germans, looking for a new Jimi Hendrix, his central message was often misunderstood.
While for many Germans Bob Marley represented the "embodiment of rebelliousness", white Germans were often unable to identify with his greater message of black upliftment and also misunderstood his meaning. For instance, Mr. Lilly explained, No Woman No Cry was interpreted as if a man has no woman he has no reason to cry. Additionally, Mr. Lilly also explained that 'fire bun' had to be explained as not a literal burning, as it rang too close to home as during the Holocaust several Jews were actually burnt.
Ms. Kohlings also pointed out that dancehall presented some initials problems while gaining popularity because it was so different from techno and house, which were the popular musical forms. It presents a problem to Germans, she said, because "they didn't know how to dance to it and they didn't understand the comic irony in the deejay's lyrics."
While the two explained the growth of the genre, their lecture was often punctuated by bits of music to allow the audience a greater understanding of what they were attempting to describe. These were mainly songs by German artistes. When Nikita Man's Mien Weed (My Weed) was played, Dr. Cooper remarked 'Dem catch it, don't? Dem catch it." This was in response to the deejay's rapid repetition of 'sweet cannabis', which was reflective of early Papa San.
