Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Beres Hammond, Wayne Wonder And Morgan Heritage
WESTERN BUREAU:
WHEN WORRELL King, CEO of King of Kings Promotions, was going through the line-up of the 17th annual Western Consciousness, he made it an all-inclusive affair.
"We don't want to single out anyone as a headliner. Everyone is a headliner in their own way," he said at the Talk of the Town Restaurant, Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, on Tuesday night.
Western Consciousness 17 will be held on Saturday, April 23, at the Llandilo Cultural Centre in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland. The gates opening at 6:00 p.m. and the show beginning at 6:00 pm.
King did, however, have special thanks for Beres Hammond, who he said came one year and decided he would be a part of building the event. "Give thanks to Beres the builder," he said.
There were also special words for Morgan Heritage, returning after an unfortunate incident six years ago. Saying that he was particularly happy to have them, King said "in 1999 they were robbed by some fellows who call themselves gunmen. After that I tried to do everything to get them again, but they were not feeling it. Not even Western Consciousness, but performing in the west". He said that this time around it was like a make-up for what happened back then.
SINGING FOR THE LADIES
Noting that singing for the ladies, but in a positive way, is also a part of consciousness, King announced Wayne Wonder. John Holt will be representing the foundation, and very much still current, part of the music, with Nadine Sutherland and the poet Marsha, who performed two pieces at the launch to good effect, being the two women on the line-up.
"We are not going to leave out the fire," King said, in naming Turbulence, also listing I-Wayne and Jah Mason as "mild fire-burners". Bushman, whose performance had been cut short two years ago, makes a return, with Terry Linen, Tarrus Riley, Abdel Wright, Chezidek and Dutaronomy set to perform. From the west, Trevor Daley, Edge Michael and Vengeance will be appearing on Western Consciousness 17.
The bands are Sounds Against Negative Expressions (SANE) and Harmony House.
Mutabaruka, who along with Cordell Green will MC Western Consciousness 17, was the evening's guest speaker. He structured his unplanned address on the headline 'God help us!' which was in The Gleaner on Tuesday, noting that "the politicians is now turning to the Church to help them solve the crime problem. And we see the crime problem really get a way. What is happening in Spanish Town now look like it no isolate itself. Now a everyweh".
"Them sey di Church has been silent. But there is one set a man who neva silent. The Rastaman for 70-odd years a preach a doctrine of peace an' love an' go dung corruption, but nobody naa hear. But we still dey yah. An' it accepted outside in the world," Mutabaruka said.
Turning to less celestial attempts to solve the crime situation, he said "right now dem a bring back de same colonial master who get we in de problem to help get we out a de problem", to applause from the audience. And he went back into history to Henry Morgan, the first governor of Jamaica, saying "the politics of Jamaica built on tiefin an' robbery".
"Is long time de top a de stream dirty," he said.
"So how is it that we weh create Marcus Garvey an' Bob Marley, how is it dat we mek it reach yaso, dat a headline can sey 'God help us'? Which God gwine help us? Cause some a de God did help put us inna it," Mutabaruka said.
"We have to create our new identity and definition in this society that don't allow you to define yourself out of that box," he said.
SCHIZOPHRENIA IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS?
He turned to the artistes and the media, saying that there are artistes who separate their lives from their art and also do certain songs for the radio and then another set for the CD and tape audience. "Are we to accept schizophrenia in the music business now?" he asked. As for the media, Mutabaruka said that except for the few "if yu listen to de radio from 2 - 6 (p.m.) is de maddes' time in yu life? Dem a try skim off de nastiness an' de bad wud. An' is a subliminal ting. Yu know whe come nex'."
"De greates' tool dem use ganis' we is de media. A de media corrup' de nation. Den dem draw back an' sey 'we did no do that'," Mutabaruka said.
