In Black America; Dub-Poet Mutabaruka

I don't understand why you need to be like this first.... You're listening to, in Black America, reflections of the black experience in American society. Every time I hear the sound, the sound, the sound, the sound, the sound. Every time I hear the sound, every time I hear the sound, the sound, the sound, the sound, the sound, the sound, the sound, the sound, the sound, the sound. Mutu Baruka recognized since the early 70s as Jamaica's outstanding protest poet.

Mutu Baruka now fused his strong words with reggae dub music. His first poems appeared in the Jamaican music magazine Swing in 1971. I'm John Hanson and this week Jamaican dub poet Mutu Baruka in Black America. Migra, Migra West Indian, then which country I belong? China, Chinese China, Indian India, European Europe, Migra, Migra West Indian, then which country I belong? Migra Black, Morte Migro Land, N all. Migaz to pist, Morte to pist? N all. Where's yes, but I know India, then I'll reach country I belong.

I approach France, my original place, try to find out what I's all about. I come here from the east that I know, but in the east there's no Negro. Moutubaruka, spearheaded a radical, New Jamaican musical movement, Dove poetry. Since the early 70s he has been recognized as the country's

outstanding protest poet. Like his music, Moutubaruka is a dramatic, somewhat mysterious figure. When he began writing he was a technician with a Jamaican telephone company, living in Kingston with a strong Roman Catholic upbringing, but a growing fascination with the writings of Eldridge Cleaver and Malcolm X. Within two years he had abandoned his original name of Alan Hope and declared his conversion to Rasta Farai. Moutubaruka's first poems appeared in a Jamaican music magazine Swing in 1971. His first book, Sun and Moon was published in 1976 followed by Outcry in 1980 and the book, First Poems in 1981. By the late 70s Moutubaruka had emerged back from the countryside to present his dramatic poetry readings in Negril and Kingston. Moutubaruka now feels his strong words with reggae dub music. His 1981 masterpiece, Every time I hear the sound, produced an association with famed reggae

guitarist Earl Chinasmith, set the standards for his new music form. In 1981, Jamaica's giant reggae festival Sun Splash gave Moutubaruka his first opportunity to bring his dub poetry to a massive live audience. He was the surprise hit of the festival and reggae entertainer Jimmy Cliff invited Moutubar on his first reggae tour of Cuba. Now Moutubaruka is on his first American tour. I spoke with him and asked why he became interested in poetry. Well, basically, you know that in the Caribbean, most of the long time colonies of Britain, England, you know. So most of the teaching that we get in the Caribbean is from England. Most of the poets that we hear about are from England, kids, Shakespeare, Chas and all those people. Well, we start the right poem. We didn't like poetry. We didn't like poetry because what we were taught in

schools about poetry was relevant to me, especially as black people, in our society, in our environment. So we are decided that, well, the poetry must reflect the feelings of the people that it related to. And we didn't say that these European poets was related to we as people in the Caribbean. So basically, that is all relay. We started to write the poetry. What did your points deal with? Well, most of the poem dealing the experience of what I see around me, you know, people's experience, you know. The suffering people, people who have a lot of money, the people who would try to do something, what can't do it, the people who should do something, what won't do it. You know, different topics, you know. But I'm not specific thing that we're right about. We're just right when we have the feeling and the urge to write, you know. I understand you were fascinated with Eldress Cleaver and Malcolm X writing. Why did you become interested in their writings and what did you gain from it?

Well, you know, being a youth in Jamaica, you know, in the early 60s, a lot of these writers came to prominence, you know. And I've been a youth in school. You see, there was a time in Jamaica that if you had a Malcolm X book, you could be locked up and arrested. God, those books were abandoned in Jamaica at the time. Well, we as youths, we also read them still, you know. Malcolm X to me is one of the greatest black men who come out of America. He started something that I don't really say anymore. Black organizer, Kim and did, you know, respect Malcolm X. I read what he had to say, you know. It was really nice to know that somebody could really come up. Well, we said that Malcolm X died and we said that the black people in America would appear to me that they are gone wrong again. You know, to me, I feel like any other Malcolm X.

Well, we know that in Jamaica, you know, we are influenced by a lot of other things, apart from the European, apart from even black consciousness. You know, but we are, Jamaica is basically a Christian country. And most of us grew up with Christianity. Well, when you grow up and you realize that certain things is not right. A lot of youths in Jamaica become rastafirans. Well, a few rastafirans is greatest influence on me right now, you know. I understand you are rastafirans now. You grew up Roman Catholic. Why did you make that change? Something that wasn't in tune in your life? Yeah, man. Christianity always taught us, was Rome. Rome teaching. Well, we come to understand that most of the things that we were taught in Roman Catholic church is not really so. It's not so it goes, you know. Christianity didn't start in Europe.

Christianity started in, where they call it, the Middle East, which is really Africa still. But they just changed the throne as a Middle East. Yeah. We could not save Rome because we are not Romans. You know, and we as black people had something longer for a room in that in Africa, longer for a room in that in the Middle East. You know, we had to switch the throne, we had to change. Because we are people unto ourselves. You know, and if a man can't find him, call him, call him, within free environment. You know, him going to become like a vegetable. So we did have to find it by moving away from the stereotype Christianity and moving into what we feel would be right there for us as a people. What status or position does Hollis to lastly end Marcus Garvey to mention my, but Marcus Garvey to the Jamaican people? Well, Marcus Garvey is the first black man to rise up and talk about black liberation and black redemption.

Marcus Garvey of all every black philosophy and opinion that is fundamental to the liberation of black struggle is being stopped by the philosophy and opinions of Marcus Garvey. Marcus Garvey to the rest of here and it's like the black Moses of liberation. You know, Eilish Lassi is the symbol of God and earth to the rest of man. The rest of man believe that God manifests himself in man. And for us to worship God as a man, we could not worship our spirit. But we would have to worship the manifestation of that spirit. And we say Eilish Lassi descended straight from the king of David. Who is what you would say, no, the lion of Judah. And we see that the covenant of man was given unto the covenant of David. So we know, tree is in history and knowing that the only thing that can link the black man with this time is his history.

And Eilish Lassi has a direct link with history from that time until now. Well, we believe that Eilish Lassi is the return Messiah, Christ, in his kingly character sitting up on the throne of David. When did you write your first book of poems? When was it published? The first book of poem was published in 1973. That book, no, it was, we didn't write it. We don't sit down and write all the poems to publish a book. Those poems were written over a period of time. And then it was compiled by a publisher and put together and come into a book. Did you have difficulty in being able to present your poetry to the public in Jamaica? No, not really. We didn't really write them to present them to the public still, you know, we write them a card for our field. But I remember the first poem I ever published was a poem published in a very popular magazine in Jamaica. And the publisher told me that, yeah, people have been saying, requesting that I put more poems

in the magazine. Well, eventually that publisher decided that he would bring out a book of poetry by me. So that is all we really get involved in the public list. After a while, we started to do public appearances. You know, read poetry here, deer, and every year. When you became of a roster, you moved from Jamaica to the countryside. I moved from Kingston. We moved from Kingston to the corner of a car. Kingston is a city. You know, and we were my lifestyle set. I couldn't really live in the city. You know, I would all work from 9 to 5 to still live. You know, 9 to 5 is a robot business that assist them keep the people in tune. Well, we break out of that 9 to 5 system. We move into the hills and we develop a hills life. You know, we plant food and we do all the various things up there. And we still live there after, like, year to years. You've appeared some years ago at the Jamaican Sun Splash. And you receive very well.

Why do you think the reaction from your own people was so great? Well, because what we do know is a different thing in reggae. What we do is put poetry to music. It has never been done in Jamaica before. You know, you have like the DJs and you have the singers. Well, we, you know, we fuse the music with the poetry because a lot of people who read poetry in Jamaica don't listen to music. A lot of people who listen to the reader, they don't go into a bookstore and buy a poetry book. Well, we wanted to link the listener with the reader. We wanted to make the people who listen if getting interested in reading and the people who read get interested in listening to reggae music. Well, what we did, we decided that we would come together with some musicians and fuse the poetry with the music. I think, basically, it's because of what the poetry is saying in this time. You know, what is being said in the poetry is necessary in this time. You know, especially all the hurt going on, stepping up into some dangerous situation, you know.

That is why I feel like it was accepted. What musicians do you have on your current album? Check it and the musicians that you have, why are you still performing in Jamaica? Are they the same or some of them different? Well, right now, we are touring right now, the US here with the band, the I-Times players. All of those musicians played on the album. But we use different musicians on the album in Jamaica. People like Augustus Pablo, like Carlton Barrett from Wheeler's Earl Chinasmith, I and Earl Chinasmith produced the album, check it, you know. And you have different, different musicians. You would quite a few musicians on the album. But the band at the time touring with no, you know, is the I-Times player. This is the band that we will continue to tour with. What are some of your favorite poem songs on the album? Check it. Well, I don't miss my favorite, you know. It hits you close to heart. Yeah, well, Angola and Via Jan,

and the white man country. And every time I hear the song, you know, Los poems really say a lot, especially what it creates. Every time I hear the song was first released in a five to five. And it was the first time I put it if I produce, I present a musical work, and it entered the pub chat in Jamaica. Plus, it was very popular, you know, all over the place. Every time I hear the song, that was the first one I recorded. The white man country is a poem that people say is very controversial. I've been accused of a lot of things. Racism. I've been accused of being too harsh. Well, the white man country poem is really into a situation in England, where we see that black people is leaving their land in the Caribbean and going to England, which I'd feel that England is a better place than the Caribbean, the favorite goal. Well, we see that nothing like that is taking place in England. We see that black people as the minority group in England have the one and the greatest unemployment percentage, you know.

And we see that a riot started in Brixton, a year before last, up to last year. And that riot changed the whole feelings of England because basically no one knew that something like that could ever happen in England. Well, that poem is just really saying that black people will never be accepted as British. They'll hear, oh, that colonial system accept them into, they are in graph them in their British system, but they will never be seen directly as British. So that poem is just telling that black people that it's not good to stay in white man country too long, you know. We interrupt this music to bring you a special news bulletin. Some African troops have just passed their borders into Angolan territory. It has been reported that several Angolans have been killed. Who are they?

Who are they? They've been feared Angola again, my friend. They've been feared Angola again. They've been feared Angola again, my friend. They've been feared Angola again. Just when we check the oppression of our end, they've been feared Angola again. The Russians die and we have to self-wide,animation til the black people die when the roughies and fruit they may, off would nullify and they sets ruthless. Aggressions have multiplied the Paes have spread from stateside to the thicker pipe. Others are flat, some fear dominates the world to do this until the tomorrow, right before the Future. They spent their position by capturing those whose aggression figured the wrong way, The international morality has disappeared. The Japanese of them are expansion. The Arabs of them are weapon.

The American of them neutron bomb. The Black Pony of two. The Dumanity of Iran. Just when we check say America, we're friends. They've been here, I'm cool, I'm again. They've been here, I'm cool, I'm again. The friends have been here, I'm cool, I'm again. The Angola in Vejan is a poem that I feel that should be heard because two of us did that poem. A poem by the name of Eral Thompson. He did the dialogues in it. Most of those words that he said were said by Elis Lassi. Years ago, it's still relevant to this day. International morality is still at stake. The invasion of Angola, this is the apartheid regime still exists in South Africa. Every day they invade Namibia and South Africa. That poem is just a way in the realization and understanding that Black people have to get up and no more talks.

We don't believe that talk can free South Africa right now. We have been trying to talk and doing kind of people work over a couple of years. Years, years, years and nothing really. We believe that the only arms struggle right now can liberate South Africa and Namibia. That poem is just telling you to get up and fight for your rights. This is your first American tour. How has the reception been? We started in California and everywhere we go, the place has been packed. Last night, we were packed up, the year that I mean. I personally didn't, so many places that I go, I didn't know, I didn't expect the crowd. For instance, we went into San Francisco and we played at some place, Keystones. It was sold out. We went into a concert club. That is a very popular place for reggae. That place was jammed. We went into our next place, Kingston 12. They said that it all 250 people and 500 people was in the air. We have been to Denver so far.

We have been to San Diego. Right now we will be at tonight. Tonight we will be playing at this place. Liberty launch. Liberty launch. We will be going into Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington. Different places. Are you playing black Americans coming out to your concerts? When I realized that at least time, the people, the people who do these bookings, you see an area that people always go, which is like a lot of white area as well. Yeah, I had to find black people going there. We did some shows. I feel it's because of the album. A lot of people know what the album is saying. They make a special effort to come to the performances. A lot of people, a lot of black people were at certain places that I played. They never used to see black people in those places. We had to get upset with these people. I was saying that they have to put us in some area.

We can't really talk to some black people. We wanted to do more shows like that. I feel that one of the reasons why regular music don't reach the black America. It's not because black Americans are taking too long. It's where it is promoted. The place is that regular music has been promoted. It's basically some white areas. And sometimes the money, the money that people are supposed to pay to go into these shows. It's high above to spend $10, $15. It's better to go buy food with it. What did Bob Marley mean to you and to music in Jamaica? Well, Bob Marley was actually everywhere in the grid. There's black man coming out of Jamaica, apart from Marcos Garvey. Bob Marley was a restaurant man. Bob Marley is a great musician. A restaurant man like myself. I'm not special. I'm talk to talk about Bob Marley.

More than that. He did a great work in the earth. A lot more Bob Marley's in Jamaica. That was a soon explored. It was a time. Has political system changed, if any? Well, change, no. Change is a lot of things to a lot of people. And I don't defend one of those political parties in Jamaica, because the two of them have been ruling the people for over the past years, years, years and years. They have not really made people in better every time one party lose their party win. The same thing. This party, you know, is more Americanized. You know, they are more close to America. Next one was near closer to Russia. So we'll find out the Russian and the American, all of them have a plan to free the African. So we don't really defend one of them. We personally is African people. We know what they say. African must find solutions for them problem.

We can't turn to people who is just poor game. I don't feel certain people feeling better in Jamaica. I don't feel it is better. I feel like one of the things I explored, that is what I feel. Check it is the first American distributed album. One of the albums have you put out in Jamaica? The first album, you know, that's the first album ever, you know. It is distributed in America by Aligata. I think they are in Chicago. We have five to five. But the five to five that we did is also on the album. So you're not missing anything. Yes, it's the rest of our life. A sidon pandewal I watch you my watch me. It's long, long time, a sidon pandewal I watch you my watch me. I'm fine, smatching shirt. Not even shoes look like it ever touched dirt. So I sidon pandewal I watch you my watch me.

It's long, long time a sidon pandewal I watch you my watch me. To make end up poet Muta Baruka, if you have a comment or would like to purchase a cassette copy of this program, write us the address is in Black America, Longhorn Radio, Network, UT Austin, 78712. For in Black America's technical producer, Scott Compton, I'm John Hanson, join us next week. You've been listening to in Black America, Reflections of the Black Experience in American Society, in Black America is produced and distributed by the Center for Telecommunication Services at UT Austin, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Texas at Austin or the station. This is the Longhorn Radio Network.