Stacy Ann Chin POETIC LICENCE and the right to free speech were clearly demonstrated at the Weekendz Bar and Bistro, Constant Spring Road in St. Andrew on Tuesday night. On a night which pulled in a record attendance for the grand finals of the poetry competition 'Root Cause' the issue of sexuality threatened to strip away the point of the event and overshadowed Simone Brian's winning of the $50,000 grand prize.
The organisers of Root Cause have constantly maintained that their aim is to promote poetry and the freedom of expression. However, some of the audience members decided that this freedom should not be extended to homosexuals.
The controversy came to a head with the performance of Stacey Ann Chin, one of the guest poets of the night. Chin is a declared lesbian, and much of her work speaks of this. As such, not far into her performance some members to the back of the room decided to shout 'Fire!' in response to her words. Chin however was determined to show that she could stand up to the fire.
Stacey Ann Chin is currently experiencing much international success through her poetry on the international scene. The past year she has been one of nine poets performing on Broadway in 'Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam' which is based on the Home Box Office channel. Chin has also conducted several poetry workshops and performances across the United States and Europe.
Those who have heard her before, probably know that one of her biggest issues is the lack of acceptance at home. In an earlier interview with The Gleaner she pointed out that her relationship is one of contradictions. "The way I love Jamaica, the way I hate Jamaica. The way that I feel that I'm myself in Jamaica, the way that I'm not myself when I'm in Jamaica. The way that I'm black in Jamaica, the way that I'm not black in Jamaica. The way that I come home to 'Yeah ohh, you've been doing stuff abroad and carrying the Jamaican flag, but you've been
carrying it under the pseudonym
of lesbian."
Tuesday night's event was a clear demonstration of this struggle. When Stacey Ann performed locally the last time, she did a 45-minute set, then was called back for more at the Livity Restaurant on Old Hope Road in St. Andrew. The content of her poetry was essentially the same, but Tuesday night's audience was more antagonistic. Interestingly, something of a tone for an anti-homosexual sentiment had already been set by the night's first performer. The evening of the spoken word was begun by pop poet DYCR who stirred up the audience with chants of "Fire!" on "Dem Man Deh". Although most of his other works received luke a warm-reception, DYCR seemed to have a very vocal section of the crowd in his corner when he performed Dem Man Deh and Sucker.
It was therefore not particularly surprising that Chin met up with the opposition she did by the time she came to close the show. She began with an excerpt from one of her two one-woman shows. The selected piece dealt with an attempted gang rape, as some of her male colleagues tried to teach her the value of heterosexuality.
It was after this piece, that the shouts of "Fire!" began to increase. Those who were willing to hear the poet state her piece soon came to her defence and encouraged her to continue her performance. Although she remained defiant to the end, declaring that it was her body, and therefore her right to lay it down how she chose, it could not be missed that she was moved to tears by the audience's response.
Some members of the audience were clearly incensed by the lack of respect for the artform displayed by the 'Fire' shouters and openly pointed out that they respected the poet's resolve and defiance to continue in the face of those who opposed her.
At the end of the night, the Root Cause organisers noted that whatever the sentiments of those who support or oppose a performer, at the end of each night it must be poetry which comes out the winner.
What was clearly evident in the night's display, however, was that there is power in poetry, and within that power lies endless possibilities.
