- Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Dingo at 'Bring Back The Love' last Friday night, staged at the School of Music Auditorium, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.
Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE POETS had their turn at 'Bring Back The Love' last Friday night. Staged at the School of Music Auditorium, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, the show combined the spoken with the sung or deejayed word. However, it was the poets who were given the responsibility of starting the proceedings to a middle-sized audience. Takura was first up and, declaring 'all Jah children come through the black woman womb', paid homage to the women of colour with: Darling dear I love to use my hands and feel the kinks in your hair... His second and final piece was The News, which looked at critical issues facing Black people concluding that we must be: Low in self-esteem Mek we a advertise bleaching cream...
Homage to the Black woman was a dominant theme among the poets, Abebe doing so to the rhythm to Bob Marley's Stir It Up, saying: I woulda step up An ask yu fi a light From that spark in your sapphire eyes Were you not a Goddess... He went sensuous on his next piece, utilising an uptempo rhythm to good effect. Sage, in an intense performance style that bordered on the frenetic, declared that there is just something about Black music/the way she plays', then rode an uptempo rhythm to pay homage to his Black Queen Co-ordinator.
POETIC PORTRAIT
Neto Meeks stepped up on stage easy, walked across the stage, then stepped front and centre and paused then said 'picture dis'. Working without a rhythm, he drew a poetic portrait of not only the way things are, but the way that they could be, saying that Marcus Garvey is: A prophet to many To most a face on a 50 cent coin. There was good applause when he ended with 'honour the man still'.
A short conference with the band 'a de firs' time me a work wid dem still') got everything worked out for Neto's second piece, an ode to 'Miss Female by the name of Champagne', which the audience responded to from the very outset. Using the stage well, prowling to the rhythm, stooping and at a few points standing stock still, Neto dropped lines which stirred the audience, such as: Tell I de truth everytime Even if you'e high...
They appreciated his word dexterity, as Neto said 'your sexy smile, gave birth to a smile' ending without the band, which he instructed to stop playing. Moving from the women to the wars, Neto went Calling all my warriors to the battlefield Let me know if the blood inside your veins is real Calling all my soldiers to the front-line Hope you got your armour and yu ready to shine... Taking off his tam to let his locks tumble past his shoulders, Neto said: Heaven or hell Who can tell Same place, different venue... There was strong applause for Neto, then yelps from the ladies as Dingo was introduced.
Taking a very relaxed approach, he started off with social commentary and singing: I smell something burning Could it be compromise- He then went on to make the point that: Dem no wan see we prosper Money no nice if everybody rich- Dingo also went down the route of speaking to relationships with I Want A Woman. The audience hung on to the words, as the poet declared his wish for not only a sex partner but a companion, a friend. There was laughter as he said: Ah did have a main squeeze But she woulden leggo mi balls And there was a 'rail' when Dingo said 'if a tree inna har face, I wi sit inna de shade'. It was this line that the MC repeated as he came up and commended the poets for setting off 'Bring Back The Love' to a good start.
