Cultural Voice

Contributor: Derefe Chevannes How many times you heard folks referring to Africa, not as a continent but a country? It’s, “are you African?” rather than “are you from Kenya? Or, Uganda? Or, the Congo, even?”         Or, how many images do we see daily with starving kids with big bellies lying in the dirt waiting to die? Or, how many times do we see lions, giraffes or hippos being the image of the African animal? Also, let’s talk honestly about images of corrupt politicians and bankrupted, poor nations that seem to represent all countries on the continent. How many times have we heard those narratives? And, it’s not that they are untrue, but that they are NOT representative of Africa’s vast diversity.                                          ...

Garfield Ellis, Source: 2 Season Guest House One can only assume that someone's favourite song gives key insight into the frame of mind and the style of that individual. Garfield Ellis, Jamaican writer of 5 books, 3 novels and 2 collections of short stories shared his favourite song with us. Nature Boy - Duane Stephenson  speaks of humanity's losing sight of what is most important to our existence. With lyrics such as  "Millions for guns and bombs, and making trips to Mars, Nature Boy is this your great vision of democracy..." there is a definate sense of holding ourselves accountable for how we act in the world. Garfield Ellis, a positive force in the literary landscape has made it his mission to write the histories of Jamaicans in an effort to provide lasting memories accessible to the world. He focuses on everyday Jamaican life.  At "Love Affair with Literature" hosted by the Department of Literatures at the University of the West Indie...

                                                                                    "We all play roles in life." - Olive Senior A Cultural Voice representative was present at the UWI writing workshop hosted by Olive Senior on Saturday January 21, at the University of the West Indies, titled "Creating Memorable Characters in Prose or Poetry." Participants were warned to come prepared to write and participate. As an opening exercise each participant chose a random photograph from a stack provided.  The challenge was to  manipulate perspectives with respect to: voice,...

Pablo Picasso's Guernica "What do you think an artist is? An imbecile who only has eyes if he's a painter, ears if he's a musician, or a lyre in every chamber of his heart if he's a poet – or even, if he's a boxer, only some muscles? Quite the contrary, he is at the same time a political being constantly alert to the horrifying, passionate or pleasing events in the world, shaping himself completely in their image. How is it possible to be uninterested in other men and by virtue of what cold nonchalance can you detach yourself from the life that they supply so copiously? No, painting is not made to decorate apartments. It's an offensive and defensive weapon against the enemy."   - Pablo Picasso As artists we must recognise that we influence society. Art has always been used to transmit messages whether or not it is the intention of the artist. It is this ability for art to transcend (through poetry, music, dance, theatre, painting) realities, m...

Dutty Bookman took time out to reason with Artistic Expressions at Manifesto JA's Festival this weekend. He spoke to us about his journey as a spiritual artist and a literary artist. "Before you can partake in the revolution you have to be the revolution!" I've known Dutty for at least 15 years, and it's interesting to see how he has evolved. In the 90' s he was very clean cut and everyone called him Gavin or 'Hutchy'. He has maintained his charming smile and honest expressions, but his philosophy about life has changed dramatically. He now talks about revolution. He speaks openly with us about his journey, as we sit under a Blue Mahoe Tree outside of the Edna Manley College's School of Dance, surrounded by participants of the festival, sharing insight and engaging in questions exposed after the session 'Meet the Artist' featuring the likes of Mutabaruka, Cherine Anderson & Bob Andy. "Success comes w...

Excerpts from review in The Jamaica Gleaner, Tuesday, November 15, 2011 "The Saturday evening show was shrouded in laughter generated from the words of the three featured presenters - Velma Pollard, Monica Minott and Earl Lovelace."  Earl Loveless greets guests after the reading "Regardless of its manifestation, it usually begins with words. And words are no more beautifully presented than in songs, poetry and novel. However, it is the latter two that were the focus of Artistic Expressions Limited's third and final presentation of their calendar events. It was simply titled Wordz, a fitting conclusion and title, as the previous two events were an art exhibition and two consecutive evenings of dance dubbed 'Cultural Fusion'." Drummers giving the call to order! Velma Pollard Reads from Collection 'Philosophers' (Photo: Jamaica Gleaner) Monica Minott reads 'Silencing the Stones' among other poems Earl L...

The AE team had the pleasure of dinner with the award winning novelist and special guest of ‘Wordz’ Earl Lovelace, who is in Jamaica to launch his latest book ‘Is Just a Movie’ as well as to conduct workshops and book readings. We had dinner at a quaint restaurant ‘Guilt Trip’, known for its deliciously decadent desserts. It struck me in conversation with Lovelace, whose even tempered demeanour immediately put one at ease, that he had a very subtle but unmistakable sense of pride which was complemented by his strong identification with his Caribbean Heritage. Lovelace, who writes in the genre of Caribbean Fiction, spoke longingly of the development of the region’s post colonial culture.   Lovelace spoke of the lost opportunities for harnessing the Caribbean Spirit. He spoke of days when the West Indies Cricket Team had been World Champions for 15 years consecutively. He believed that the spirit that thrived then, could have been pr...