BURNING SPEAR: AFRICAN TEACHER :: Essays Papers

intent SPEAR AFRICAN TEACHER Burning Spear has in the one-time(prenominal) 25+ years achieved many acclaims as a reggae musician. He is cognize to many as the African teacher the elder statesman of reggae a cultural ambassador a p toper a rastaman. The main themes interconnected into his music are the teachings of Marcus Garvey, African roots, Rastafarian beliefs, and consciousness, especially black consciousness. Spears clayey is give tongue to to be hypnotic and trance-like (Bloodlines, Davis and Simon, 1992, 53-55). His lyrics are simple, but the resonant levelheaded of Spears voice, along with the drum and bass, intensifies the listening experience to its fullest. His music is meant to be hear in every part of your body to carry the listener to a higher state of being to uplift. In Newsday, Elena Oumano wroteAt its heights, reggae music transforms the personnel casualty rage and love of 2 million former slaves/colonials intodreadconsciousness, and outside(a) revolution o f the mind against blind acceptance of the world as it is, rocking asseveration of the power of the underclass to elevate the human spirit,(Oumano, 1991, p 17). Spears reggae has, since the beginning, continued to reach this height. Winston Rodney, Burning Spears Christian bear on, was born(p) on March 1, 1945. He was born in St. Anns Bay, Jamaica (Messer, 1995, 1). Burning Spear was quoted to have said this about his contextIm not a man with a musical background. I was a flexible man who was there until Jah call I,(qtd. in Messer, 1995, 2). He takes his name from the Kenya freedom fighter, Jomo Kenyatta, who was also called Burning Spear (Bloodlines, Davis and Simon, 1992, 54).Spears musical career began in 1969 when he ran into Bob Marley deep in the outdoors of St. Anns. It could be said that Marley and Spear were led to each other on that day in January. Marley was traveling to his farm via a domestic ass. Spear was headed the opposite direction. When their paths crossed, Bo b brought his donkey to a halt and climbed down. The two began talking, and Bob rolled a spliff. They sit down in the grass, smoking, talking of Rastafari, African roots, and reggae music. Burning Spear mentioned that he was interested in getting involved in the music business. Marley told Spear to go to Studio One, which was the label Marley had been working with and which Coxsone Dodd owned. Marley told Spear to tell the producers that he had move him.