Deborah Hickling, Contributor
Children performing the traditional 'bruckins party' at the national Independence Day civic ceremony held at King's House on August 6. - NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
I NOTE with interest Michael Dingwall's conclusion that culture is holding us back. (Sunday Gleaner August 14, 2005). Firstly, culture, by its very nature, is ever evolving, moving forward at every moment. It does not hold anyone or anything back. The issues at hand are those of cultural and creative production in development.
The movement to legitimise cultural products and producers as contributors to economies, is not a Jamaican phenomenon. In economic terms, creative industries, once called cultural industries are, in recent times, being hailed as the economic goldmines of the future joining, and in some instances, replacing manufacturing, agriculture and others as primary wealth creators. Since 1998, many economies have developed policies which seek to seriously promote and record the phenomenal increases in the contributions of creative production and practitioners to GDP, increased employment numbers and positive development of human capital. In cultural studies terms, popular culture is a vehicle of expression. Popular cultural products are historical documents that will provide future generations with products, which will tell them what the generation in question was thinking and why.
Popular culture, like the music, has emerged to counter the very hegemonic structures, which breed opinions like those expressed by Mr. Dingwall. As long as society continues to put up the wall, so will popular culture continue to bat it away with its lyrics, plays, verse, films and novels. So it could be said that out of the very uproar of high culture proponents, comes the promotion of popular cultural products of resistance and contestation. The popular culture practitioner is deliberately offending the sensibility that sees him as an ignoramus.
So who is brilliant and who is silly? Who is victor and who is stewing in the anguish of colonial thinking? "Down-pressor man," said Peter Tosh, who, incidentally was seen by the bespoke, be-suited as a hot-headed ignoramus celebrating the 'long dead Selassie' as was the much-celebrated Bob Marley.
CREATIVE ECONOMY
Informed observers and researchers worldwide say the knowledge economy is out and the creative economy is in for the 21st century ... so Mr. Dingwall's 'ignoramuses' may well have the last laugh. We really need to inform ourselves. Work by creative industries theoreticians and practitioners can be found on the Internet, which by the way, is seen by some as a quick and efficient source of information of all types (take-it-or-leave-it); and others as an 'abomination' of popular culture that circulates the 'filth' of the earth at the speed of light.
The notion of performers as 'near-criminals, drug addicts, ignoramuses and other forms of rif-raffs' is not a new one. From the beginning of the 20th century when ideas of cultural industry began to emerge, critics (Adorno et al) held similar views about the producers of popular cultural products music, theatre, art etc. In fact, many continue to be
seen as dreamers, crazy, non-productive hustlers. The people we see as 'hustlers' are known as 'independents' elsewhere. Policy and management practices are changing worldwide to accommodate the new trends and to embrace not only knowledge and ideas but also creativity.
The 'developed' world is moving towards empowering their creative practitioners, not tearing them down. There are concerted efforts through developing creative clusters and creative cities. It's ironic, the world is now legitimising what many Jamaicans have done naturally in order to survive, since Emancipation Day.
It is argued that many of us are still slaves, and indeed the slaves were criticised for being lazy. Lazy is not a word I would use for those who are creating their own employment and sometimes wealth in an unsupportive environment. It takes willpower, skill and strategy to successfully navigate a time and space that makes one feel more battered and hostile than empowered to profess positive and wholesome messages. Lazy is not the word for a person who is called upon to tour multiple cities for months on end, to work endlessly in editing rooms, attend repeated gruelling rehearsals for unending hours or perform in places not designed for performance - without dressing rooms or even running water!
CULTURE OF SEPARATION
It is the culture of separation that keeps us enslaved. It is that which is 'holding us back.' We may not all like the same things. We all encounter presentations and ideas that are distasteful and incomprehensible.
There is much to be said about personal responsibility, but to degrade the tastes, practices, religious beliefs or opinions of others ... that is the enslaved mentality we must run from. Fight the battle by creating outlets for all creative work, like the pioneering Jamaican documentaries by Hilary Nicholson, Cynthia Wilmot, Mary Wells and the late Don Bucknor; the early films by Lennie Little White, Perry Henzell and others. For those looking to the future, there are other upcoming
vibrant, young filmmakers and creative practitioners that continue to chronicle the history of this nation proving insight on both 'good and bad'. Perhaps if we see increased facilitation of production and broadcast of the wide cross section of work that creators are struggling to produce, there will be more choice. Natural selection will then take care of 'quality'.
So, here's an alternate approach. How about really finding real ways to empower, educate and assist our cultural ambassadors, with whom we may not always agree? How about listening to the things that are said through the lyrics, reading between the lines and using said lyrics as indicators for change? How about really placing emphasis on educating a generation of performers, artiste managers, agents, producers etc., so that the next generation learns the nuance of getting the best out of all our creative
practitioners? How about agitating for more music education in schools so those who want to sing can do so with the confidence and the knowledge that keeps them in key? How about ensuring that the present and next generation is not robbed of the opportunity to be themselves with pride and dignity? How about agitating for policy that will protect the new wave of independents, so that the holders of financial capital do not continue to exploit them out of their creative capital?
How about agitating for and creating an environment where talent and creativity can be put to optimal use, so that everyone is one step closer to happy, prosperous and fulfilled? How about developing a culture that celebrates and facilitates creativity and creative work? Then, what can hold us back, in the new 'creative economy'?
Send your comments to Deborah Hickling of the Institute of Caribbean Studies UWI, Mona at connolley@anngel.com or infocus@gleanerjm.com
