Monday, December 31, 2012

RASTAFARI IS EARTH'S RIGHTFUL RULER



Rastafari is Earth’s Rightful Rule
you know
I mean we’re not really tryin
because you cannot turn Rasta
or become one
you have to be one from Creation
so
what we do really is
is to come out an bring the people consciousness together
there a lot a people don’t know that God is here an alive
an livin’ in the name of Rastafari
some people still lookin’ for God to come back as Jesus Christ
but HIM tell you when come
HIM have a new name
so when HIM return he wouldn’t be Jesus Christ again
that mean you know
today HIM come
an HIM name RASTAFARI
so we is Rasta disciples
like Christ disciples
you know what I mean... bob marley

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Friday, December 28, 2012

STOP INVENTING QUOTES OF BOB MARLEY

 
 
All the quotes on this blog were provided by my researcher Tammy. They are not invented. These are the Words of The Gong.
 
Kindly meet Tammy.
 
 

Monday, December 24, 2012

WIKI ANSWERS WHO IS LINDSAY DONALD?




Lindsay Donald is one of Jamaica's finest portrait photographers. Famed for his association with reggae legend Bob Marley, he has travelled extensively in Africa, Europe and the United States. Lindsay Donald's work can be seen http://untitledelement.com/

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_is_Lindsay_Donald#ixzz2G0uGnPqM

Friday, December 21, 2012

GREETINGS PEEPS



Greetings peeps.
I am pleased to announce that after a two hour meeting this morning with Mr Hesketh Benoit at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, north London, we shook hands and this gentleman has now agreed to become the major in...
vestor in the publication of the book Portrait of a Legend and other Folks.
We shall now plan to launch this book [possibly] at 56 Hope Road, Kingston, former home of the legend, Robert Nesta Marley.
Kindly watch my ass and this space.
Bless.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

THE DAY THAT I MET LADY DI

I was to photograph Princess Diana. My photos are embargoed for PORTRAIT OF A LEGEND AND OTHER FOLKS.
 



De day dat
I met Lady
Di
I was
Happy. No
I tell a lie.
I had a pain in my belly
I would not fart near royalty. (Dr. Benjamin Zephaniah)
 
 
 
 




Monday, December 17, 2012

I WANT SOME GOODNESS





Ahh the time is here mon
the time is near
is either
is either
is plenty people shall fall
an some shall survive
so if you look upon the world today
with all the weapons a man made
I mean
man cannot make no weapon fight God with it
I mean you can’t fight God with weapon
so man must all fight himself
so you see that
the people
the wicked people is ready to fight themselves
God wicked shall fight
God shall put
wicked shall be over wicked
if you’re a man thinkin’ wicked
you’re a wickeder man than him
seen
so that a goodness now
because alright
wickedness is no not good
but try goodness
I want some goodness
that is only thing... bob marley

The photograph is not photo shopped. This photo is from Japan and is from the private collecton of https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151235096319830&set=a.310712544829.148228.109532589829&type=1&theater&notif_t=photo_reply#!/JuniorMarvin?fref=ts






Sunday, December 16, 2012

THE GOLDEN AGE OF REGGAE


 
The bulk of the material that will adorn the book, Portrait of a Legend and other Folks, were all taken during what I refer to as the Golden Age of Reggae.

Namely from 1977 until 1987.

Images that precede that era are not of my concern.
This was an era that would never again be repeated.


I share with you now a few of the treasures I have bolted.
Portrait of a Legend and other Folks is truly the Golden Age of Reggae.


 
MIKEY WILLIAMS

 
BIG YOUTH

 
JIMMY CLIFF

 
GREGORY ISSACS

 
BLACK UHURU


FILM IS VALUABLE AND SHOULD NOT BE WASTED




Every photograph I have taken had to count. Peter Tosh was truly describing me.

Tosh: Why you take so many bloodclaat pictures?
Nick Night: Er…. Its my job.
Tosh: If you are a true professional then you should only need to take one picture and done!

Lloyd Bradley New Musical Express



Thank you to http://midnightraverblog.com/2012/12/15/tiff-with-tosh-nme-by-lloyd-bradley-may-21-1983/ for the excerpt.

Friday, December 7, 2012

REDEMPTION SONG





REDEMPTION SONGS (JAHUGLIMAN/CARL GAYLE)

“Yeaaaaaahy.. Greetins in the name of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile I Selassie I..Jah Rastafari who liveth an reigneth with I an I intnually ever faithful ever sure.. They say experience teacheth wisdom, but there’s a natural mystic blowin thru the air…”
So Bob introduce him show, Pittsburg Pennslyvania U.S.A. The last show completed on USA tour 1980.
Natural Mystic… “.. Many more will have to suffer, many more will have to die..Tho I tried to find the answer to all the questions they ask, yet I know its impossible to go livin thru my past”..Bob sing to educate but for those who don’t learn it get too late.
Rastaman Vibration…Positive. “If yu get down an yu quarrell every day yu sayin prayers to the devil I say..Why not help one another on the way, make it much easier..”
Burnin An Lootin.. “This mornin I woke up in a curfew, oh God I was a prisoner too.. could not recognise the faces standing over me..all dressed in uniforms of brutality..How many rivers do we have to cross before we can talk to the boss…” Is a song yu sing in a jailhouse innocent on no charge juss becos yu walk de street. De dread sing fe all rebel all over earth.
Them Belly Full…”Dem belly full but we hungry, a hungry mob is a angry mob, de rain a fall but de du’t it tuff, a pot a cook but de food nuh ‘nuff”..Singin for de sick de sorrowful, de troubled, de weak, rich an poor everyone want more. The reggae music is de revolution when yu get de spirit..hungry mob.
Heathen…”Rise oh fallen fighters, rise and take your stance again, he who fight an run away live to fight another day…As a man sew shell he reap and I know that talk is cheap, but de hotter de battle a de sweeter Jah victory”.. Grudgeful envious people..
Runnin Away “..Yu can’t run away from yourself. Yu must have done something wrong, why you can’t find the place where you belong…” Guilt conscience can’t hide.
Crazy Baalhead…”I an I build the cabin I an I plant the corn, didn’t my people before me slave for this country, now yu look me with a scorn then yu eat up all my corn..we gonna chase those crazy baalheads out of town..” De dread prophecy then him fulfill de book.
Him asks “How yu feelin out dere? Feels good, feels good yeah, Rastafari!” WAR… “Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned..” everywhere is war. Cos Jah never yet speak of black an white, to defend one and fight against the other.
No More Trouble… Sad enough without your woes so speak happiness, we dohn need no more trouble.
Zimbabwe”…Every man got a right to decide his own destiny.” When a man mean bizniz dat mean him will lay down him life fe de cause of de people freedom struggle. Natty trash it inna Zimbabwe. Take more than words. Bob do it, lets do it.
Zion Train…People if yu ready get on board.. De ticket yu need name self control. Which is de benefit of wisdom. It require the will of Jah.. Bob say Two thousan years of history could not be wiped so easily. But still I an I have to fulfill de book. Can’t just sit around every day.. in Babylon.
No Woman No Cry..dealing with loyalty an faith an hard times, devoted to a brave woman forced to be alone. Personal song of love for the world to share. we have oh good friends we have lost, along the way..in this great future you can’t forget your past, so dry your tears I say.’
Jammin ..Fast tempo from start to finish. ‘No bullets can stop us now, we wont beg we wont bow’.
Exodus..’Men and people will fight you down when you see Jah light..let me tell yu if you’re not wrong everything is alright” Movement is life so lets move Open your eyes and look within, are you satisfied with the life you’re living?
Redemption Song ..De youth of today sing dis in detention when yu back against de wall yu remember Jah, yu sing freedom song. So help de dread sing.
Coming In from The Cold..Call and response. Its you I’m talking to.. why do you look so sad and forsaken? When one door is closed the other is open.
Could you be loved ..’The road of life is rocky.. you might stumble too so while you point those finger-some one else is judging you.’
Is This Love ..For those in love yu ave to be truthful like yu throw yu cards pan de table.Work..’We jah people can make it work, come togeda and make it work ‘ mek Tuff Gong International leggo dis pan disco or 45. Live version Pittsburg Pennsylvania USA 1980 tour ‘5 days to go..’








Tuesday, December 4, 2012

BOB MARLEY - CONFESSIONS OF A RASTA MAN



I am pleased to announce that Mr Carl Gayle, a most influential music journalist and publisher of the classic Rastafari magazine, JAHUG, has agreed to write an Introduction to the book, Portrait of a Legend and other Folks.


 
 
The idea for Black Music Magazine was inspired by writer Carl Gayle. Gayle was a Jamaican-born cleric working at the DMV. He wrote an article called “Let it Rock” that was noticed by a new publishing company called IPC. He helped the publishers see a need for a predominately Reggae publication. Gayle introduced the language of Patois to the British population through his writings. He later took his writing skills to the studio, recording several Reggae albums under the alias “Carl I.” His debut album was called 'Keep My Fire Burnin.''

http://racketracket.co.uk/music/black-music-magazine/


 
BOB MARLEY - CONFESSIONS OF A RASTA MAN
By Carl Gayle
When you first started, did you set yourself any ideals to live up to?
You mean if I had any aims! Well no, we didn`t have any direct aims. We didn`t know what it was all about.
How difficult was it just to live then?
Living was easy. We never had any responsibility. I used to live with my mother. But we know we didn`t get any satisfaction from the people who we were dealing with in the music business. But we didn`t suffer. We could tell you how guys robbed us but "living" was always there.
What motivated you?
My intelligence.
What differences are there now for Jamaican musicians?
There are differences but they don`t make any difference to me. I live the same way, how I want to live. My head is not in the material world. I`m a man who sleeps on stone. Go into the hills and rest. That`s my pleasure. I own the earth you know, all things belong to I.
How do you measure success?
I`m as successful as I want to be. Success is being alive and knowing you have to live. We love music and we play music. That`s a hard political question to answer because that`s not where my head is. I live a different life.
Are there any particular things that you couldn`t do early on, that you can do now?
Yes, we can spend more time in the studio, things like that.
You used to sing songs like "What`s New Pussycat"--that sort of pop material. Nowadays your songs have "messages". . . .
Well as time goes by and you grow up, Jah (God) makes you do the work when He wants you to. I used to have to learn to sing y`know. Sometimes when I was singing I didn`t really want to sing the song, I just wanted to sing. But if you can`t write a song to sing then you have to sing some other song.
Weren`t there any influences?
Those things like "What`s New Pussycat" weren`t really my responsibility, Coxon (his label owner) asked me to sing it so I did. It wasn`t as if I dug it.
Would you sing things like that now?
If I felt like it . . . (sings "what`s new pussycat, whoa whoa whoah" and laughs).
You told me last year that Joe Higgs had been a great influence. . . .
Well yeah but since I`ve said that already I don`t want to say it again. But me and Joe Higgs used to just sing together, rehearsing, and he was great.
Have women inspired any of your songs?
Sometimes. But I`m not the broken heart type y`know. I prefer to say "Stir It Up" or "Kinky Reggae" or "Bend Down Low". I don`t really get broken hearted. I feel "man enough" that if I`m even gonna sing a "love" tune I`m gonna show the girl how much I`m gonna break her heart. But still I`m a great lover you know. . . . Hey it`s cause you don`t know y`see. I`m a great great lover you know. . . (laughs). . . . Let all them women tell you. Right now I`m waiting on a woman named . . . to come round here!!!
Is Rita Marley your wife?
Rita is a nice sister, one of my sisters. She`s a female! (laughs heartly).
But she also has your name, are you married to her?
Bob Marley isn`t my name, I don`t even know my name yet. . . .
I know what you mean but . . .
No, I`m not a married man.
Rita, Judy Mowatt, and Marcia Griffiths have been singing together as the I Three. Have they been recording?
Yeah. The group is formed and they`re gonna be recording. And if we`re doing any tours they`re supposed to tour with us. They`re the background singers on our new album.
Would you say you`re a disciplined musician?
We don`t go to school. But it is important that everybody in the group understand each other and try and meet the requirements within the group.
What caused the apparent break up of the group?
The break up is not the breaking up of the group. It hasn`t broken up, the group is there. If I or anyone else wants to do some music by himself we can still do it. If we want to sing together we can sing. If we don`t want to we don`t.
Will Wire (Earl Lindo--keyboards) be playing with you again?
No, I don`t think so.
What about Pete and Bunny?
Yeah, we`ll still play together.
Why aren`t they here in Britain?
Well people just do what they want to do. Just the other day we played together on Marvin Gaye`s show in Jamaica. but the thing is that some people don`t like touring because it`s hard. Well sometimes I feel that I have to get out. When I thing of my responsibility I have to make certain moves to secure myself. So if Brother Bunny and brother Peter feel like they don`t wanna tour then. . . . But Jamaica is a little bit too small for me, police will kill me. I can`t allow that, I have to look for some way where I can move.
We sang together for eleven years and right now a man feels like he can cool it for a year and make something for himself. Peter has an album coming out, Bunny has one coming out, and I`m working on one.
Have you ever been accused of selling out, making so called commercial ,music?
We make music that we can play. What is commercial music, music that sells to pop people? How many of my albums sell to pop people? We live in Jamaica. If we were in JA you`d ask me some different questions.
Have you been recording with Scratch (producer Lee Perry) recently?
No. Scratch has a little studio and I went down there one day but we haven`t done anything together recently.
When you recorded things like "Duppy Conqueror" and "Small Axe" with Scratch four years ago, how much did he contribute?
We worked very good together. Anyone who I work with has to contribute to the music `cause I use everyone`s ideas. Even if you didn`t know anything at all, any time we meet it`s music `cause I`m just a music tree. So if you even come to the studio where we`re playing and you can play a little guitar you might have to go and dub on something because it`s music. . . . I don`t feel like I have a bright glow shining `round me. I know that I`m just as ordinary as ordinary can be. That`s how I feel, true true!
Which songs do you prefer from the last LP?
Well I did really love "I Shot The Sherriff" because it was saying something, and I love what Peter and Bunny did. Things like "Hallelujah Time" y`know.
What was "I Shot The Sherriff" really about, was it just a simple story?
It`s a simple story. But y`know I don`t wanna get involved in that too much because. . . . But you can imagine the feeling you have to have to make a song like that. It`s like you`d tell the police . . . well it`s lucky I never said "I shot the police" `cause that`d be a different thing! You just have to switch him quick: "I shot the sherriff" papa, not the police . . . (laughs).
Can a song like that have any physical reprecussions?
I was just expressing feelings, but those kind of songs can have a whole heap of reprecussions.
What was the audience reaction like in America when you were on the bill with Sly And The Family Stone?
The audience never really understood what was going on too well. Only when the sound was right. We went through a little sabotaging you know. But when the sound was right, the PA system, then the audience go off on it. But if you have a guy (sound controller) `round there who don`t know `bout your music and then he`s f . . . around. . . . If he picks up the organ too loud, the bass too loud, and the music sounds. . . . Nobody`s gonna dig that.
What do you do when you`re not touring or recording?
In Jamaica we`re always well occupied. Most of the time we try and help some brethren to do certain things.
What kind of things?
We`re occupied in some different type of way every day. Some movement, or just talking to people and meeting people to maybe try to help them out of trouble y`know.
Are you able to do that because you are the Wailers, because you are Bob Marley?
No. You can only do that because you have the head to do it. Regardless of who I was I`d do it the same way.
Would you agree that the Wailers are very popular?
The Wailers have the two number one spots in Jamaica right now (RJR and JBC radio) with a song named "Road Block" so you can`t be more popular than that.
What is your popularity due to?
I don`t think I`m so popular. People have only heard about me, nobody knows me. I can count the people who know me personally. . . .
But you just said the Wailers were popular?
Well if you`re dealing with popularity in a commercial world in music. . . . To tell the truth we come with music and it`s just the music. King David is the greatest musician so music `ave to play. Now it`s reached the stage where music goes on records and sells and it happened to us because we can do it.
Who are you really communicating to through your music? It must be more specific than "the whole world" because we know that the vast majority don`t even get the chance to listen. . . .
Most of the time I`m communicating to the people. But you`re asking me a political question again and I`m not of politics. It`s righteousness. Don`t put me in those realms. Hey, we could stop coming to England you know! We could go into Africa to. . . . I met Taj Mahal the other day and he said "this music you`re playing man it`s played in Ethiopia." So you can see what kind of music this is. It`s not even my music, this is reggae, the King`s music.
Is it important to you that people like your records?
It`s very important to me that people get the message. People buy the records and some of the music is for dancing. And this thing is not political. Right now I say "never let a politician grant you a favour" and a politician couldn`t say that. So I`m not into politics.
You say it`s not political but songs like "Slave Driver" and "Trench Town Rock" definitely have political messages. Your new album also has a song called "Revolution"
Well what about "right" and "wrong"? It takes a revolution to make a solution. Never let a politician grant you a favour.
Is itimportant to you to be regarded as the best?
Not to me but to the Wailers. It is important that we play good music. It is important because we travel and play in England and in America. And it works out right!
If you were rich would you still tour and make music?
I have enough money y`know. But I don`t believe in this individual elf thing. Right now there are about 600 people in Jamaic dying to see me come home and they`re not musicians, they`re just my brethren. That`s how we live. So when you see me here I just come to play music. The amount of music we have within us nobody can buy it out.
What motivates you still?
I love music so I play. Nothing can stop me. Only Jah can make me stop. regardless of what people might think fortune and fame is . . . I don`t care about that. I`ll go anywhere and play music.
What are your goals now?
To be in Africa. But not to run away and leave 600 or 6,000 of my brethren just because I can afford it. we want repatriation. We might not be doing anything towards it but we`re playing music. And it`s a revolution we`re dealing with in that respect. But we`re not political revolutionaries.
What do you mean when you say you`re a rasta man?
Don`t I look like a rasta man to you?
Surely it`s not just what you look like?
No. You have to live up to certain principles to be a rasta man You have to know that His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haille Selassie is the true and living God. If you can really know that and do good things for yourself and others then you are rasta . . . I`m not a leader y`know, I`m just an ordinary sheep in the pasture. So I couldn`t know what`s going to happen. All I know is that rasta man is of the twelve tribes of Israel and they`re coming back together. Now His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haille Selassie, has granted them this Ethiopian World Federation so that the black man can come home. I`m a member of Charter 24, the twelve tribes of Israel. Sometimes we go to meetings y`know. . . . So I`m a rasta man playing some music. I love sound in music and the music helps.
Why do you have your hair in locks?
Plenty reasons!
Such as?
The first thing is, when you take the vow to be a rastafarian no razor nor scissor must come to your head. You must let the locks of your head grow, that`s what the Bible says.
What music do you listen to?
Let me tell you. right now I couldn`t afford to buy a record changer and sit down in my yard and have a selection of records and play and listen to and all that. That`s not my trip. My trip is I just get up and walk. I might hear some music playing in a dance hall and I go over there and a fight breaks out and I`m gone. It`s like that.
My grandfather now, used to have a sound system, that`s where I used to listen to most of my music when I wanted to. He used to play a whole heap of calypso and one or two meringue. Everybody in my family was musical. . . . The most thing I listen to is reggae. But they play the music too loud at dances and I can`t stand loud music.
How was it that you, the Wailers, got the chance to record with Island?
We were over here with Johnny Nash and we didn`t like what they (Trojan) were doing so we checked Island and did a deal with them. . . . We were in Jamaica and we heard that Trojan released our records. We came over to check Trojan and we can`t find the guys there. Imagine, we`re in Jamaica, we don`t know these people over here. We make our records, spend our money, put them out. They just take one of our records, bring it to Britain and cut records off it and sell it. plenty of them man! And not even the real quality! Even "Trench Town Rock", the majority of them. The only ones they should have are the ones where they did a deal with Lee Perry. So the only thing I could do was check out Island.
How much better is the deal with Island?
Right now I don`t really understand them too good. It`s like they`re trying to show us that they built us and bla, bla, bla. . . . And I can show them that there are companies in America who`re offering us half a million dollars to come to them. But I still, through my conscience, will let them have another album. But I don`t really like the way they handle the business that much. But we have a lawyer coming to check out what`s really going on.
Do you think that Island has had an influence on the way you make your music now?
No they can`t influence the music.
What are your thoughts on the new album?
It`s coming closer to what we really want to deal with. Sometimes I just let go myself y`know and take what I get. Sometimes I`m just afraid to say do that . . . I hear something going wrong and I can`t say it! But I think this one really comes nearer to what we want.

What effect has the Wailers` music had on the rest of Jamaican music?
It`s made them think bigger. You know, show them that we`re no underdogs. We`re just big! Even the youth can respect himself and love his dreadlocks. Plenty guys can`t do this (points to his hair) but I`m glad I can do it. And I don`t feel like it`s a burden.
What have you achieved through music that you`re proud of?
My direction. Music keeps me calm. If I wasn`t music the Earth would be upside down. Music is the highest in the realms. I know I was born with a price on my head in them ways. I felt it from I was very very small.







GETTING STARTED

http://poalaof.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/getting-started/

Monday, December 3, 2012

RAS TA: A SOUL'S JOURNEY



 
Greetings peeps.
London is friggin cold this morning.
Last night, I had the utmost pleasure in meeting Mr Robert Nesta Marley's oldest Grand Daughter, the bubbling Ms Donisha Prendergast at the first UK showing of the feature documentary, RasTa: A Soul's Journey, which was previewed in Tottenham, north London.
...
What can I say!
Not only were FOUR of my photographs from the book Portrait of a Legend and other Folks featured prominently, the film is quite an outstanding piece of work and my guess is that both this film and MARLEY could be included for an Oscar nomination.
Yes, it is THAT good.
*Here I am with Donisha, such a sweet lady.*

Thursday, November 29, 2012

LINDSAY DONALD ON NEWSHOUND



In 1994, Mr Ross King, the Scottish television presenter, actor and writer and the current automated telephone voice of American Express, invited I to appear on his BBC quiz show, Newshound. Mr Ross King can be seen daily on ITV morning shows Daybreak and is currently their Los Angeles Correspondent. Thanks for that break Ross. Bless.



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

TEACHER OF TEACHERS

I was to photograph Mortimo Planno at 56 Hope Road.
 


 I love Brother Kumi. Jah bless.

We decided now to use the POP MUSIC ... to take out the E in the POPE and call it POP, and use the POP MUSIC to influence the youth. And if one really looks at the world today you'll see that apart from the seven hundred million Roman Catholics the church boast about, there are more than seven hundred million youth attracted to pop music. (Planno 1979)

Sunday, November 11, 2012

A STORY CALLED REVOLUTIONARY

 
'T' is well known in the Marley & Tosh world for her gift of translating rare Bob Marley interviews.
'T' has been doing this work since 2007.
She is contributing to Portrait of a Legend and Other Folks.
 
Over a whole heap a time now
everyone write about Rasta
well Rasta no write about himself
so over a whole period a time
have to talk
an tell a lot a journalists
show them the right thing
an learn to read
who always read the wrong thing
And I say
we might as well try
see if we can really write some right things
that the people really can see
Jah come from the right source
more than come from what a man think
what a man think
you say
because InI say something
you know
an you don’t understand it
an you write it
you can read it
an you read it
an you can understand it
you dig
Robert Nesta Marley
 

Monday, November 5, 2012

RARE PHOTOGRAPH OF TUFF GONG



This image represent a small segment of a much larger photograph taken around a table in Nana Rita's garden at 56 Hope Road on the night of February 6th, 1979.

It was in celebration of Robert Nesta Earthday and it represent probably the only image of Tuff Gong cutting such a cake.

This photograph was printed the next day on the front page of the defunct Jamaican newspaper, The Daily News, and carried a caption along with my name credit attached.

This photograph is copyrighted to I and as such, the complete photograph will be featured in the book Portrait of a Legend and other Folks.


Saturday, November 3, 2012

WHERE THERE IS HOPE



I HAVE A HOPE THAT IS SURE, UNWAVERING, AND ACTIVE.
I HAVE A LIVELY HOPE.
GLORY BE TO THE FATHER AND TO THE MAKER OF CREATION
AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING IS NOW AND EVER SHALL BE
WORLD WITHOUT END
JAH RASTAFARI ETERNAL GOD SELASSIE I





Wednesday, October 10, 2012

CHRISTMAS HAS BEEN SHOT

 
 
I met Benjamin Zephaniah some 20 years ago when I was at Caribbean Times and have not seen him since. I did take some shots of him but those are with Caribbean Times.
 
 
 
CHRISTMAS HAS BEEN SHOT - DR. BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH
Christmas has been shot away this year,
There are too many choppers chopping up the sky
Too many bullets in the air for good tidings,
There will be no Christ and no mass
And darkness has fallen upon the land.
No one shall make a joyful noise unto the Lord
Or serve the Lord with gladness,
No one shall come before his presence with singing,
And Palestinian Christians who want to declare
The name of the Lord in Jerusalem
Or glorify the boy in Bethlehem
Have been told to piss off to Jordan,
Syria or Iraq.

All the saints have been told
To wait for the resumption of peace talks
And the angels of the Lord have been told
To wait until the Americans are ready
Because Zion means something else now,
And yes it was written that the truth shall flow
From the mouths of babe and suckling,
But babes and sucklings beware
The soldiers have orders to kill,
And the spirit of King Herod is alive.
They're not doing Christmas this year,
It has been shot away'And anyway
Christ is no messiah,' said the soldier
'This is our Promised Land. '

What we see over Bethlehem this year
Is a spineless, skeleton of a Christmas,
A Christmas that has been occupied, strangled
And driven to tears, crying tear gas and burning,
It's a Christmas that has no songs or sermons
Except the song of the bomber;
As loud as dying
As quiet as death.
Welcome to the birthplace of his holiness
Welcome to the humiliation of the natives,
Here even flowers are shot down
If they fly the local flag,
You will not hear the bells of Christmas
And you will not hear the women sing.
'And let me tell you something else,'
said the soldier
'No virgin gave birth here - we wouldn't allow it.'

Sorry gentiles
It looks like it's gonna be a cold Christmas,
Ain't no spirit of the Lord moving over the manger
Just a nuclear power
Flying in from Tel Aviv via Washington DC.
The power of the almighty has come for sure
To suck Christmas dry
And to blow Christmas away.
There will be no mercy
And no rejoicing
And no worshipping any little Black Palestinian boy,
And no crosses
And no three wise women or men
And no Arab shepherds,
Because Christmas has been done in
Christmas is coughing and choking
Christmas has been hit by bullets from the west,
So if you want to do Christmas this year
Take a bible,
Sit indoors,
And do your own thing,
Just don't do it in Bethlehem.

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Millions of people know Benjamin Zephania's voice. The popular Rasta poet has given readings around the world, from Palestine to Argentina, as well as throughout the UK. Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah was born in Birmingham and grew up in Jamaica and in Handsworth. In 1989 he was nominated for Oxford Professor of Poetry. After a journey to Palestine, Zephaniah wrote a pamphlet entitled Rasta Time in Palestine (1990).

We present to you this evening Zephaniah's poem, "Christmas has been shot" which is included in his poetry collection, entitled "Too Black, Too Strong." (Too Black, Too Strong. Newcastle, Bloodaxe, 2001.) Zephaniah writes in his foreword to the collection: "the world is staying silent as the Palestinians are being annihilated" later he says: "I feel a sense of urgency here is a poet who won't stay silent." He explains the collection's title thus:

"When I say 'black' it means more than skin colour, I include Romany, Iraqi, Indians, Kurds, Palestinians, all those that are treated Black by the united white states. My 'strong' is the strength that we get when we stand up and get counted...When I say 'Too Black, Too Strong', I mean unity is strength, I mean 'true' free speech, I mean no justice, no peace."




When I was about 18 I sent Bob Marley a bunch of my poems. He wrote me a letter back - which I never kept - saying: 'Nice work, keep it up, you're saying something positive.' I met him later. I almost wanted him to write it again. ~ Benjamin Zephaniah