Another Carnival Sunday has come and gone, and never before has it been more glaringly obvious that all aren’t equal on this here Animal Farm. The liberties extended to the carnival road march, dancehall has not been privileged to in its own home.
Since its launch in Jamaica in 1990, this season, more than ever, carnival here mirrored what transpires in the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago. An increasing number of persons now routinely leave ‘yaad’ and head to Trinidad to experience the authentic revelry in bacchanal central, complete with the attendant sunup to sundown party scene. And they take these ideas back and implement them here. What was once a few isolated soca parties and a single Byron Lee-led road march in Jamaica have become breakfast parties and j’ouverts and Friday night fÍtes and all of four simultaneous road marches in city Kingston travelling along different routes. Hope Zoo to Half-Way Tree was on lockdown.
I strongly doubt a dancehall equi-valent would ever get approval from the Kingston and St Andrew Muni-cipal Corporation. Can you imagine if the promoters of Hot Mondays, Container Tuesdays, Weddy Weddy, and Bembe all approached the good mayor and requested that he close the streets in the heart of the city to vehicular traffic so that ghetto people could put on swimsuits and dagger each other across town drinking Boom and blaring Kartel? Oh, the horror!
Don’t get me wrong. I do not hate carnival. On the contrary, I love the spectacle and bright costumes and the revelry and the dancing. I love the spirit of togetherness and the carefree attitude. But I’m all too aware of the hypocritical divide it highlights in Jamaica and the disregard for what is ours.
At just over $50,000 a pop, this year’s costumes aren’t for the faint of pocket. That’s two months’ salary for someone on minimum wage. Obviously, carnival isn’t a poor people thing. It’s really for the rich, and many believe that’s the reason the celebrations are allowed to take over town.
Between the disturbance from the passing music trucks and the inconsiderate spectators who parked in private driveways, to people ticked off by the traffic changes, it appears that more persons are inconvenienced by carnival than by any dancehall event. And so invariably, the age-old question of classism and carnival continually becomes a hot-button item. Why is carnival allowed to get away with all this?
Dancehall Not Accommodated
Even with Kingston’s designation as a creative city of music by UNESCO, dancehall still doesn’t hold pride of place here. How is dancehall being accommodated, let alone promoted, in City Kingston? Dancehall continually is made to feel like an inconvenience in its own home. Sure, it isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but the oppressive shroud under which it must always happen in back alleys, hiding from police after hours, shouldn’t still be. There still exists the struggle with the Noise Abatement Act forcing early closure, which is completely against dancehall culture.
Here’s another, more trivial way soca won this past week. We often criticise dancehall songwriters for the absence of imagination, (Exhibit A: Bruk It Down by Vegas. Exhibit B: Shampoo by Ding Dong). However, the chorus of this year’s carnival classic was the most repetitive set of lyrics I’ve heard. Ever. It literally goes, “Hold dem and wuk dem”; repeat eight times. And people loved it. That’s no more creative (and no less vulgar) than the dancehall hits.
Sum total: ‘jackass say the world nuh level’. For there to appear to be equity, a legitimate place must be carved out for dancehall. It, too, must feel welcome in the nation’s capital. At least as welcome as the carnival the city bends over backwards for every year. Unless and until that happens, dancehall will always feel like a stepchild.
– Patria-Kaye Aarons is a television presenter and confectioner. Email feedback to [email protected] and [email protected], or tweet @findpatria.
ey-yi-yi. Listen, this debate comes up every single year and it is just draining.
On one hand, both genres sing about the same thing however one uses clever innuendos and the other is explicit. Could it be that the lyrics have an affect on how the dancing is perceived? Could it be that the cleaner lyrics in soca make the gyrating less provocative than the raw verbiage of dancehall making it hyper-sexualized?
On the other hand, I will forever be on the side of dancehall. People talk about “time and place” to justify the behaviour in carnival. Error. They also forget that Dancehall encompasses both the music and time & place – The Dance Hall. Furthermore, it’s held and night and patrons wear a lot more clothes. Uptown people and wanna-be uptown people will do anything to separate themselves from certain aspects of Jamaican culture to not be seen as the Stereotypical Jamaican. I grew up experiencing this. It is no secret. Soca and Carnival is just one of the many tools used. It’s a rite of passage. If you don’t listen to Soca, you ain’t uptown. Money is LOUD in Jamaica Yuh hear?
-PTS
So true, these sponsors need to stand behind reggae music a whole lot more.
True words writer and PTS whole heap a money deh a Jamaica and classism will always be an issue. That’s why I love when they come to America only to realize that no one gives a f**k which part of Jamaica you’re from. Not a fan of Carnival as per say but I like soca music. What is Jamaica without dancehall? Jamaica is way more than Carnival because only Jamaicans recognize Carnival in Jamaica. Dancehall is Jamaica and Jamaica is dancehall.
From the 60s Blinds did done tell we sey a 2 Jamaicas we living in so big up Patria fi reinforce what Seaga preaching all his life.
These are the same set of hyprocrites that fight against n bun out Hot wuk wid it eyei eyei eyei!!
Hhhhmmm i hear the arguments and valid points are on both sides. However dancehall needs to take the blame for its predicament. One of the major difference is the business aspect of dancehall. Comparing a soca fete and the average dance is a travesty. Fetes are well organised n thought thru and importantly, business like. Most dancehall thing move like hustle. Anytime the same level of time n planning is placed into a dancehall event u get the Dream weekends, britjam, rebel salute, sumfest etc. Bad to bad you have more dancehall events than soca so dem shudda shame. Another thing that is an issue but alot overlook it, is the character of many dancehall promoters, dem mix up. Whether direct ot indirect. Nuff just a wash drugs money n the ppl dem kno. Even if ur going to argue that, so are some of the other promoters. Unlike the dancehall they dont just play decent when dem a seek permit. Dem name naah call up regular in serious crimes. This now raise another blow for dancehall. Dancehall has been allowed to slip into the grips of too many criminals that use it as a front. The aspect of secuirty, compare a soca fete to an average dance n we have to be honest its night n day. The good good prosecutor want to bruk out and dagger n rightfully so. Weh u think she feel safer? Inna waah dance weh security a some badman police weh nuh av the full resource or team so dem resort to “rambo style” to control the crowds? Or in a secure venue with very visible security team and procedures?
For me this argument should not be about soca vs dancehall. Nope it should be abt the dancehall fraternity admitting that dem fall short in some areas over the years. The hype has truly eroded the essence and business of dancehall and bashing soca wont fix it. Its not even abt lyrics as the same tunes are played pon soca riddims at the fetes. Dancehall need to shake the criminal shadow its hugging up in the name of street cred and “support the don thing” and remind selectors that its a business nuh some wishy washy thing. Dem a get paid so dem nuh affi a hunt dung the money pull up or a chat out the rass tune dem. Even if your not savy business wise hire a professional. Your going to say u cant afford it then go bathe in champagne n hype infront camera? Hhhmmm. I love dancehall but we affi call a spade a spade and demand more from our party promotors and selectors. In turn they will get the supoort they seek. Rem sumfest, dream, britjam all parties with proper planning not just money n hype.
Carnival gwan di one or di likkle two time fi di year suh mek dem have dat dancehall will forever live an continue grow..right now it’s gonna open a door you haven’t seen b4.