Celebrating 20th anniversary of Carolyn Cooper’s book Sound Clash

The Department of Literatures in English (LIE) and the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, in association with Patricia Chin, co-founder of VP Records, hosted a staged conversation with Professor Emerita Carolyn Cooper on September 14 about her book on Jamaican dancehall culture.

Film producer Maxine Walters and fine artist Mathew McCarthy designed the dancehall décor. Walters’ collection of dancehall posters, along with colourfully painted loudspeaker boxes, set the stage for the event.

Master of ceremonies Dennis Howard, lecturer in the ICS, paid tribute to Professor Cooper, who had encouraged him to read for a master’s degree in entertainment management. Veteran dancehall producer and engineer Lloyd ‘King Jammy’ James, who played music crafted in his Waterhouse studio, spoke about Cooper’s stellar work. Joshua Higgins, whose painting of a dancehall scene is featured on the book cover, paid tribute to the author.

UNAPOLOGETIC DEFENCE OF DANCEHALL

The conversation was led by Lisa Tomlinson, head of LIE, and Dave Gosse, director of the ICS. In response to questions, Cooper bristled with defiance and unapologetic defence of dancehall culture, which characterised her tenure at the University. She initiated the establishment of the Reggae Studies Unit, and as director of the ICS, convened the inaugural Global Reggae Conference.

Cooper paid respects to Garth White, who had died recently, for his pioneering work on Jamaican popular music. She also acknowledged her mentors, such as Lucille Mathurin-Mair, who encouraged her when she faced criticism and opposition. Asserting that she had “a broad back”, Cooper credited her Seventh-Day Adventist upbringing for the courage to swim against the current of societal ‘norms’.

Another theme was the duplicity in society’s treatment of eroticism. While uptown erotica is seen as sexy gyrations in carnival road marches, downtown erotica is regarded as slackness. “Slackness Hiding from Culture” was the title of a Cooper essay published in 1989 in Jamaica Journal. The title came from one of Josey Wales’ big tunes. In Cooper’s view, women in the dancehall crave admiring attention to their physical assets. By contrast, Western feminists consider brazen leering at women – the ‘gaze’ – as demeaning.

Another issue was the dismissal by intellectuals of the profound lyrics and statements by dancehall artistes. Cooper recalled the negative reactions she received when she invited popular artistes to speak at the university. A cartoon in one of the newspapers declared that The UWI had become a ‘Rampin’ Shop’. Her counterargument was that the university must be a space of play where all views contend.

SHOCKING ASSERTIONS

One of Cooper’s shocking assertions was that Shabba Ranks was more supportive of female emancipation than Bob Marley. Shabba affirmed the right of women to use their sexuality to claim power, for example, in Gone Up. Bob’s Rastafari faith made him rather judgemental about women’s sexual freedom as in Pimper’s Paradise.

In response to criticism that her work does not embrace the full gamut of dancehall culture – the dances, costumes, music, etcetera – Cooper acknowledged the wide range of dancehall scholarship. However, as a literary critic, she focuses on lyrics, which she considers to be the most important element of the DJ’s repertoire.

The Q&A with the in-person and online audience was equally engaging. The guests left the event feeling fulfilled and inspired. The event was streamed live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/Mz2sAservys.

Cecile Clayton is the former deputy university registrar of The University of the West Indies.