By Mel Cooke, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
IN THE beginning of 'Rebel Salute 2004', there was the word. Nick Hem, Marsha Hall, Steppa and Cherry Natural, the last accompanied by her daughter Little Natural, opened the 11th staging of the annual show at Port Kaiser, St. Elizabeth, on Saturday night with poetry. While the audience paid due attention to each it was the women who connected best with the early showgoers - and it was Marsha Hall who literally lit up the venue with a trio of poems.
And with a significant audience turning out early, the word did not fall on empty ground.
The duty of opening the show fell to Nick Hem, who MC Jenny Jenny introduced as having won a talent show in Texas, as well as having appeared in several plays. The dramatic experience was obvious, as Nick Hem put lots of performance into the poetry, using voice and stage movement to get his point across. "Everybody out there like to have sex, but before you have sex wrap it up," he said in introducing his first poem.
Always use a condom/If you don't have one run!/To the nearest store, Nick Hem said in his poem. I know sex is sweet/But good health you can't beat, Nick Hem continued. His pace was rapid and at times he repeated 'AIDS' in an emphatic tone, but in wrapping up Nick Hem whispered the name of the feared disease urgently.
Deadly matters were definitely on his mind, as he continued with a loud, piercing cry of 'murderer', in starting a poem which questioned the killing of human beings.
Marsha was next and like Nick Hem she performed without music. There were some tremors in her voice at first, but the words which came out as she opened with 'Copyrights on Rasta' were sure, steady and effective. The flags waved and there were shouts of approval as Marsha expressed her disapproval of those who wore all the trappings of Rasta but 'neva go Iyahbinghi' and, in addition, 'nyam pork/sniff coke' and other transgressions. We come fi chant dung Babylon/No more pirating of the Rastaman, Marsha ended to strong applause.
Her second piece started mildly enough with a pleasant 'Welcome to Jamaica', but her tone changed and the pace quickened as she declared it the 'home of the Black Prime Minister with no Black ideas' and the roars rose over Port Kaiser. There was no 'haul and pull', though, as Marsha continued that what was needed is 'real employment for the poor, so the media can stop advertise massage parlours...' In addition, she criticised the hiring of 'cons' as 'consultants', when the remedy for this land/can be had from the peanut man.
Her last piece was done, she said, for the empresses, but it was the men who had to give a listening ear when she declared. I am tired of you brothers posing with the chemical browning with silicone tits... and once again Rebel Salute howled approval. The shouts of approval continued as she declared that what I have is Black beauty, strong in melanin and warned the Black men try not to lose us as they tried to satisfy your strong sexual lust.
"What a message! All who a bleach tonight haffi go hide!" Jenny Jenny said before introducing the next poet, Steppa. He was the first poet to use music and laid his chanting style and very powerful voice on the rhythm to Crazy Baldheads, which the C-Sharp band came in with some time after he started a capella with 'whe de music gone Iyah?'
Clash dem waan bring/Yellowman a de only king, Steppa said, also making reference to the happenings at 'Sting 2003'. He hailed the likes of Capleton, Sizzla and Luciano in the piece.
Steppa continued with a poem which questioned the economic runnings of the country, declaring de finance/have we at a distance/for money. Dem raise de pay of politicians/decrease de pay of paediatricians, he said, adding that the Minister of Water blighted our future.
Deejay Okonko came between Steppa and Cherry Natural, who 'bigged up' all the African people in the house before introducing her daughter Little Natural. Together, they launched into a poem which called all 'guerrilla queens' to the fray, stating that it no matter what you got/you coulda be de bigges' shot/if yu don' do nutten fi humanity/yu life empty. The mother and daughter team traded lines well, C-Sharp kept the music low and effective and there was good applause.
They used voices alone for the next poem, speaking out against materialism in unison. Whey u plan fi buy/A piece a de sky? they demanded of those whose appetite for money seems to have no end.
Stop de madness in de name of change, they exhorted on the next poem, stating that we put we future pon pause/waiting for a nex' Messiah to come/So we can put him in prison....
Your interest will not be served by the system you support/Dem jus' a wait pon u fi cut yu blasted troat, Cherry Natural told those who would sell out to said 'system'.
