BLACKA AND BELLOAmina Blackwood-Meeks, Contributor
TELL ME something comedians don't have anything better to do wid dem time? I mean people like Oliver Samuels, Winston "Bello" Bell and others who might not wear the labels but make other people laugh anyway.
Owen "Blacka" Ellis, Glen Campbell, Charles Hyatt, Claudette Pious to name a contemporary few. You mean dem spend so much time a school just to come out and meck people laugh? The part about spending time in school is not a joke, okay? And what is so important about laughing anyway?
First to commence, laughter has been the subject of study by very sensible people who wear big fancy titles like cultural anthropologists. The title serves to make it very clear that they spent time in school and have something inside dem brain. Many of them believe that the purpose of laughter is related to making and strengthening human connections.
Mahadev Apte is one such sane and sensible human being. Hear fe him pronouncement upon the matter: "Laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another, when they feel open and free. And the more laughter there is, the more bonding occurs within the group."
PIRATING LAUGHTER
The other night I witnessed such a serious piece of bonding transcending age, gender and social class. I betook myself to Centre Stage to see Oliver at Large. I used to watch the pirated version regularly, very regularly, on a Monday night on a certain television station when I lived in the Eastern Caribbean.
Well, one time the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) had a meeting in said territory and one Mister Tino Barovier did go to represent Jamaica. There he was into his hotel room one night when de devil prick him fe turn on de teevee. Dere he beheld Oliver, Large Abroad and far from yard without due process of broadcasting rights.
Suffice it to say his pronouncements in the meeting the next morning were not funny for he was not amused and dere is where de joke stopped.
The citizens of the country were deeply distressed for this Monday night 30 minute bouts of laughter had come to play a critical part in their existence. I know for a fact that many man-hours of productivity went into nothing but lamenting how dem lose Oliver.
Him is now honorary citizen down dere and I did meck mistake of teck him for a drive out on one of his visits. Mob! Poor Oliver literally lost his shirt to an adoring fan who simply hauled it off his back. Me nearly had to call police.
Big brain people sey, people often store negative emotions, such as anger, sadness and fear, rather than expressing them.
CATHARTIC
Laughter provides a way for these emotions to be harmlessly released. Laughter is cathartic. That's why dem did so glad to see Maas Oliver. That's why, ascording to book learning people, some people who are upset or stressed out go to a funny movie or a comedy club, so they can laugh the negative emotions away.
That's why the Centre Stage was packed to capacity the other night. That's why it almost always packed. People know they can go there and laugh away some negative vibes. They know, before big brain people announce it, "that these negative emotions, when held inside, can cause biochemical changes that can affect our bodies."
Recently I received an invitation by email to attend the second annual International Symposium of World Laughter Tour to be held in the Spring of 2004 in Mexico.
The chief organiser of the event is one Steve Wilson. He has been officially designated as the Cheerman of the Bored. You see like how I don't have anything better to do with my time, I am going.
Just like how for the past five years I have been picking up myself and going off to the Caribbean Comedy Festival in Boston-New York-Washington D.C. (I did buck up de one Claudette Pious during one such tour and she did buss out a laugh how she see me name all over New York as comedian. But only people who love yu can laugh into yu face like dat).
The first time Von Martin, the Trinidadian architect of the Festival invited me I declined, on the grounds that I am not a comedian and he had been misinformed by whomever.
Hear Von: "Well, he said you are not a stand up comic but you does tell a good story and people does laugh." There it is again, this desire, this need to laugh.
So, I found myself inside Centre Stage watching the response of the audience as much as I watched the action on stage. It was very much like watching the man at the Friday night dance session with the one bottle of stout that he sips all night. Without that Friday night dance and him one stout, him is a pressure cooker ready to explode.
A TOTAL BODY WORKOUT
It is my considered opinion that after the back-to-school blues; after being told that their children did not qualify for assistance under the PATH programme and similar experiences of indignity and powerlessness on a daily basis if we couldn't laugh or find things to laugh about, more of us would opt for Robin D'Abreau's prescription to just "hate somebody today".
But we can laugh at them instead laugh at politicians who tink dem fool we, laugh at reports that we beating poverty into the ground in Jamaica, turn Weapons of Mass Destruction into Weapons of Mango Destruction and kin puppa-lick every time we bite into a Julie mango.
For the experts also say "Laughing can be a total body workout! Blood pressure is lowered, and there is an increase in vascular blood flow and in oxygenation of the blood, which further assists healing. Laughter also gives your diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles a workout. That's why you often feel exhausted after a long bout of laughter you've just had an aerobic workout!"
That's why Jamaicans always look so fit and healthy no matter what. We need the words of Bob Marley, "Forget your troubles and dance."
That's why we love Miss Lou. Is there anything she could not make us laugh about? Nuff kin teet a cover heart bun.
Some people don't want us to laugh. Dem vex when you happy. Dem vexer when no matter what they do, you keep on laughing. The book learning experts on laughter find out sey in some cases controlling the laughter of a group becomes a way of exercising power by controlling the emotional climate of the group. That's why the boss upset when you laugh or sometimes you wait till him laugh to decide if you can laugh.
No so inside the Centre Stage. Instant attitude improvement. Meck the whole Centre Stage crew run the attitudes and values programme. Meck we see if the Cheerman of the Bored is right: "Together we can lead the world to health, happiness and peace through laughter."
And look here Oliver and Company, nuh badda gwaan like unnu have anything to do wid unnu time that's better than that. Nuff respec!
