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Stone Love goes back to school - Sound system takes on academic agenda at UWI
Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
When Stone Love Movements played at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, for the first time at an early 1990s renewal of the annual Spectrum concert, it was a momentous occasion.
The Student's Union, a long-established party venue, was full as never before, as dancehall made a significant step in its relentless uptown march.
Since then the premiere sound system has played on 'campus' several times, but when they do so yet again on Sunday, July 6, it will be in a more academic setting than previously. They will play on Dancehall Night in the Cultural Village of the 2008 Association of Cultural Studies (ACS) Crossroads Conference.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Caribbean culture </span>
Conference Coordinator Dr. Sonjah Stanley-Niah, lecturer in Cultural Studies at the UWI, Mona, said "the cultural village came as part of our contribution to showcase Caribbean culture through food, the arts and craft, as well as exhibitions. It evolved from the overall theme of the conference and will showcase sacred aspects of Jamaican/Caribbean culture.
The committee settled on Revivalism, the drum typically used by Rastafari in their Nyabinghi celebrations and dancehall as key components of the culture we would want to share, as well as have dialogue about and through".
<span style="font-weight: bold">So Stone Love's 'academic' date comes after Revival Night on Friday, July 4, which is followed by drumming by the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, Akwaaba and Drum Explosion on Saturday, July 5.</span>
The Cultural Village, like the rest of the conference, which begins on Thursday, July 3, is open to the public. Stanley-Niah said "we want the cultural practitioners, artists, musicians and agents, all the stakeholders, students and lovers of culture to join us in this conference to celebrate Jamaica, our contribution to world culture and the birth of the UWI".
<span style="font-weight: bold">Global presentations </span>
The conference will see over 550 persons from nearly 70 countries making presentations, as the ACS Crossroads Conference is held in the Global South for the first time. The keynote speaker is Arturo Escobar, who will speak on 'Latin America at a Crossroads: Moving Beyond Modernity'.
As the theme of the conference is 'Of Sacred Crossroads', Stanley-Niah says "the most popular areas have been religion and spirituality, especially Rastafari, including presenters such as Prof. Frederick Hickling, Dr. Michael Barnett, Dr. Deborah Thomas, Dr. Rivke Jaffe, Robin (Jerry) Small, Junior (Ista J) Manning and Dr. Jalani Niaah, who was responsible for introducing the Rastafari Studies Minor at the UWI".
Other popular panels are about sexuality and music, with Barbadian Professor Kamau Brathwaite, Trinidadian Professor M. Jacqui Alexander and Jamaica's Professor Rex Nettleford and Professor Carolyn Cooper slated to make presentations.
Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
When Stone Love Movements played at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, for the first time at an early 1990s renewal of the annual Spectrum concert, it was a momentous occasion.
The Student's Union, a long-established party venue, was full as never before, as dancehall made a significant step in its relentless uptown march.
Since then the premiere sound system has played on 'campus' several times, but when they do so yet again on Sunday, July 6, it will be in a more academic setting than previously. They will play on Dancehall Night in the Cultural Village of the 2008 Association of Cultural Studies (ACS) Crossroads Conference.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Caribbean culture </span>
Conference Coordinator Dr. Sonjah Stanley-Niah, lecturer in Cultural Studies at the UWI, Mona, said "the cultural village came as part of our contribution to showcase Caribbean culture through food, the arts and craft, as well as exhibitions. It evolved from the overall theme of the conference and will showcase sacred aspects of Jamaican/Caribbean culture.
The committee settled on Revivalism, the drum typically used by Rastafari in their Nyabinghi celebrations and dancehall as key components of the culture we would want to share, as well as have dialogue about and through".
<span style="font-weight: bold">So Stone Love's 'academic' date comes after Revival Night on Friday, July 4, which is followed by drumming by the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, Akwaaba and Drum Explosion on Saturday, July 5.</span>
The Cultural Village, like the rest of the conference, which begins on Thursday, July 3, is open to the public. Stanley-Niah said "we want the cultural practitioners, artists, musicians and agents, all the stakeholders, students and lovers of culture to join us in this conference to celebrate Jamaica, our contribution to world culture and the birth of the UWI".
<span style="font-weight: bold">Global presentations </span>
The conference will see over 550 persons from nearly 70 countries making presentations, as the ACS Crossroads Conference is held in the Global South for the first time. The keynote speaker is Arturo Escobar, who will speak on 'Latin America at a Crossroads: Moving Beyond Modernity'.
As the theme of the conference is 'Of Sacred Crossroads', Stanley-Niah says "the most popular areas have been religion and spirituality, especially Rastafari, including presenters such as Prof. Frederick Hickling, Dr. Michael Barnett, Dr. Deborah Thomas, Dr. Rivke Jaffe, Robin (Jerry) Small, Junior (Ista J) Manning and Dr. Jalani Niaah, who was responsible for introducing the Rastafari Studies Minor at the UWI".
Other popular panels are about sexuality and music, with Barbadian Professor Kamau Brathwaite, Trinidadian Professor M. Jacqui Alexander and Jamaica's Professor Rex Nettleford and Professor Carolyn Cooper slated to make presentations.
dem still ...wikkkkkked and deadly fi real 
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