Poetry becomes an effective instrument of protest because it can circulate orally without the aid of the print medium, and its performance is less susceptible to censorship than narrative. Dis poetry is not afraid of going in a book No, but dis poetry need ears to hear an eyes to have a look Yes, dis poetry is Verbal Riddim, no big words involved An if I have a problem de riddim gets it solved, I have tried to be romantic, it did no good for me So I tek a Reggae Riddim an build my poetry, I could try be something personal But you've heard it all before, No written words are needed Because plenty words in store, Dis poetry is called Dub Ranting De tongue plays a beat An de body starts skanking, Dis poetry is quick an childish… " – Benjamin Zephaniah In an era where the postcolonial nations are diligently " writing back ", it is indispensable to discuss the creative possibilities wrested by black poets from a combination of assimilation and resistance to English as a language and culture. Gender is an important part of our study. It does as Oku Onuora claims- “to dub out unconsciousness and dub in consciousness.” In our paper, we wish to study the freedom that performance allows in these two fields and the utilization of that freedom in the process of decolonizing the mind and the body. Dub poetry has interacted with Calypso, reggae and the Rastafarian movement. They both influence the Caribbean people to commit to social, political and economic development and to root out the lingering evils of colonialism. Brother they could keep their money, I go keep my honey, and die with my dignity.” Dub poetry and Calypso music have some unique features. Artists like Singing Sandra sing: “Well if is all this humiliation to get a job these days as a woman. The way they wield the language of protest shows a distinctive gender consciousness. The social criticism of women is different from the social criticism practiced by men. Since the entrance of women into the field of Calypso, criticism by women has grown in popularity. This is why Calypso has been called the common man’s newspaper. Awareness is the result of the demands Calypso makes on its performers. We wish to explore how performance creates a space in Calypso music for decolonization. It is this performance oriented nature of Calypso that has made possible various kinds of social criticism thereby raising mass awareness. It is also, by nature, the common man’s music. Descending from call and responses, field hollers and work songs practiced by the subjects of colonial repression and slavery, Calypso is inherently a way to fight repression through performance. Calypso music is an integral part of Caribbean popular culture. Decolonizing through performance: a look at Calypso and dub poetry.
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