By Mel Cooke, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE WORLD Poetry Day celebration at the Livity Restaurant in St. Andrew on Sunday was a damp affair. The rain came in the early afternoon and, though it did not fall continuously, it was enough to leave wet patches when the celebration wrapped up at 10:00 p.m.
There was never a large audience on hand throughout the island's only World Poetry Day celebration, but the range of recorded poetry played by the Dub Traffickers Poemtry Sound and, near the very end, Blakk Muzik, was expansive.
In addition, with a host of poets 'passing through', from Ivan von Kuma at 2:00 p.m. to the final performer Princess Dawn, there was more than enough live poetry to go around.
It was not all about the spoken verse, though, as a book cover exhibition reinforced Jamaica's literary tradition. The covers of Aunty Roachie Sey and Jamaica Labrish by Miss Lou were displayed against a khaki-coloured backdrop, along with the covers of other books such as In The Kingdom of Light, My Grandmother Could See and the late Louise Fraser-Bennett's I Will Survive.
There was also truly original fashion from Whatabongocloth Fashions.
With Ras Rodd and I King I at the controls, selections from Malachi Smith followed Ivan von Kuma, before Starman stepped up to the microphone to pay tribute to Our Jamaican Heroes. The first female of the day, Sister Juliet, followed with Sitting Here and was called back to microphone to do Why, with Empress Pauline expressing her views on Cuba and Jamaica in two poems.
TRIBUTE TO WOMEN
Wayne Palmer expressed his wonder about a new day ('will this be the last one I set my eyes on?') with Starman returning for tributes to the Black Woman and the Fat Woman.
Three youngsters brought back memories of Mikey Smith with Dis Ya Dutty, holding the rhythm in the poem well.
Selections from Atiba Wilson and Jahshanti preceded a shift in poetic mood, with Gina Rey Forrest doing Celebrating My Womanhood ('were you trying to impress me/when you talked about how you can tan pan it long/like the song?') and the scorching Sacrilege, which took an uncompromising look at a pastor practising the sexual act that he preaches about and right behind the altar, too.
Zifata honoured the women 'of potency', before Chandis' Rain Dance came over the sound system. Ras Rod stepped forward to take a turn at the microphone with his Fluid Secreting, before Gina Rey Forrest did Decay and Resurrection.
Poets rotated turns at the microphone, all to good support from the small audience, with Jahshanti, whose work had been played earlier, utilised the dub of the Burning Spear to do No Peace, No Love, Poor Man Struggle and Woman Before Time.
FOCUS ON HAITI
A highlight of the afternoon was Cherry Natural, co-ordinating her poetry with two drummers, to do Willie Lynchin', Woman and Good Life. A representative of the Poetry Society of Jamaica read a batch of Haiti poems, in keeping with the theme of the programme, which covered the celebration of Haiti's 200th year of independence and the struggle against slavery.
Later in the evening, Mutabaruka dropped Miss Lou and Just Another Brother With Some Dreads, as well as selections from Linton Kwesi Johnson and Benjamin Zephaniah to widen the scope of the celebrations. Mutabaruka's poem on Haiti was spot on, Princess Love resumed the live presentations with her expression on Oppression and Frustration, as well as Black Woman.
Ironically or appropriately a police officer came in to ask calmly and politely that the sound system's volume be lowered as Black X was chanting 'I come in peace', his Tek Tax forming a soundcheck of sorts for the appropriate level.
Poems from Boom Dawn, Steppa, Takura, Abidan and Sage, preceded a short 'groundation', followed by a mix of Mutabaruka's Dis Poem, before the World Poetry Day celebration wrapped up with a recorded version of the 'Desiderata'.
Which does not mean that the poetic expression has been put on hold, though, for as Ras Rod said during the proceedings "this day is for every day. This is what we play every day."
