Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Carolyn Cooper - CARLINGTON WILMOT/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
FOUR SHEETS of zinc with the words 'Professor Promotions Presents Dance Clash 2005 at UWI, DJ Papa Eddie" scrawled in huge red letters at The Undercroft at the University of the West Indies, Mona was possibly the best marker for the launch of Professor Carolyn Cooper's latest book Sound Clash: Jamaican Dancehall Culture at Large.
The sheets of zinc, poised easily seemed to represent the incursions of the hard underbelly culture on academia as its validity gains acceptance. Cooper, has of course, been egging on this acceptance, cheering on the deejays from the lecture's podium as their lyrics bum rush conservative minds.
Sound Clash: Jamaican Dancehall Culture at Large, published by Palgrave Macmillan and boasting a painting by Josha Higgins on its cover was launched on Tuesday night at the university. The book in itself presents the clash between academia and popular culture, and the event was its live portrayal. Rather than presenting a quiet affair, the launch took on the lively aspect of the book's subject.
What one might have taken for background music, to help get the programme started was indeed a scheduled item on the programme dubbed 'Clash' for which deejays from Stone Love and Swatch International (using scaled down versions of their systems) were roped in to play the music that is the subject of Cooper's book.
So it was that the event began without a formal introduction. 'Sound Clash' wove into 'Body Clash' which featured a dance by L'Acadco which tapped into the street feel of the dance elements of the culture. The lack of introduction hinted at the slackness that Cooper's writing often analyses and celebrates as her texts traverse the cultural geography of dancehall, and worked to the affair's benefit.
The event was not without a chairman, however and Cordel Green, executive director, The Broadcasting Commission slipped easily and entertainingly into the role. In his introductory remarks Green noted that when he first saw the title of the text he assumed it was an autobiography as Cooper's every "sound" resulted in a "clash".
Professor Aggrey Brown, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education brought 'Remarks'. He pointed to Cooper's tenacity in bringing the International Reggae Studies Centre, under whose umbrella the launch took place, to full-term. Brown said the centre was "on the verge" of taking off due to Cooper's "dogged" and sometimes "facety" pursuit of the dream.
When it was her time to respond, Cooper threatened to withdraw her services if the centre does not receive "proper" funding. "After tonight me strike," she said.
The Most Honourable Edward Seaga delivered the evening's address. Mr. Seaga delivered a summary of the text while pointing to its importance, especially as historically much of the writing about Reggae has come from foreigners such as David Katz and Norman Stolzoff. Though he did not agree with all the arguments of the text, noting in particular his disagreement that the 1980s was a repressive time which resulted in the underground swelling of "slackness" and gun lyrics, he expressed great admiration for the work.
It would have been remiss to launch the text without support from the deejays and Capleton filled this requirement. Though admitting to his own critique of the education system, the deejay endorsed Cooper's work which he argued would further the "overstanding" of the culture.
Cooper brought the launch to an end. "I do hope you read the book," she said. "You don't have to buy it, you can borrow somebody own."
