Damian “Junior Gong” Marley delivers public lecture at the UWI Mona. This event was put on by the Department of Literature in English under the title “MonaRock”.
Watch here below with excerpts listed and links to more books on the subject.
And um, this is the last one. I was going to read more of a cultural piece. But, I figured this audience would appreciate this last one…when you are sleeping. After lovemaking and the pull and tug of snoring and silence, we spoon under the moon’s blue blanket and your dick is a dead man on my back. I imagine the world he left behind. Small triumphs, gargantuan failures. He’s finally at peace. Like a bald headed chemo patient unplugged from tubes, poison, and the world’s pity. Still on fire, my body cremates him. What will I do with the ashes? How do I convince his family he died on his own volition? But some nights your dick on my back is a dead man who didn’t want to die. After his head calms into the calm after climax, he wanted to return unwounded, walk in the welcome home parade, be knighted by the queen for his gallantry.
In the dark, I construct a eulogy. I tell all the men lied infused on my thighs. The holy women tucked behind my knees. That loving is always the act of dying. And only the determined few breathe themselves back to life.
It’s not my fault you couldn’t pull yourself up
Oooh how we pray as women for resilience! To bounce back in the face of pricks and dicks and big headed babies! And IN THE DANCE, surrounded by men, we flash up our lighters, point up our fingers in gun salute, shout RAAAAAAAY, in case we are mistaken for women whose poom pooms could hold a coffin, the congregation, the choir, the hearse. Anyway, let me rush here, I really want to get to Damian Junior Gong too…
If I had a dollar every time I was called Shakespeare I would be a really rich woman. — Cindy Breakspeare, current beauty Queen and Damian Marley’s mother
The things that outraged people back in the day at the top of the list was Rastafari I would have to say. Or, what gives him his values today, which are always right out there in front of him. So, without further ado I would like to welcome and introduce — and I know you’ve heard these words before but it’s my turn to say them tonight — this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Damian. — Cindy Breakespeare
It’s a little bit awkward for me. Most of the time when I’m on the stage I’m usually singing, not talking. I figured that out of everything I would like to speak about really for myself, what I would like to get across to young people, is to talk about talent. Talent, I think in a lot of ways that, a lot of people have, you know, my opinion, the wrong idea of talent. Because talent, they make it sound even as a musician like what we do, is something that just fell out of the sky and you were borne with. Which is not so. It’s something that takes years of practice to do what we do. Nah mean? Years of good practice to get better. I don’t know if any of you are familiar with an author by the name of Malcolm Gladwell. He wrote a book called Outliers, which speaks a lot about what I’m talking about now. Amount of hours it takes someone to become perfect or a professional or expert in any field that they’re into. You nah mean? So. What I’m trying to say basically to all of the young people here, in whatever your ambitions and your endeavors and whatever you’re pursuing for your future, always remember that practice, in terms of trying to strive toward being better at what you do, you know what I mean? Not becoming stagnant or lackadaisical. Not settling for, always strive for the best? You know ma say? — Damian Marley
That said the talent part of it now comes with you as a person and what you express to the world. What is your opinions and your point of views? It’s not so much over your skill of being able to DJ, or sing on key. It’s more about your thought and your heart. And, you know what I mean, that God bless the life that God give you. That is really where the talent is. So that being said, I don’t really have anything in terms of a “planned speech,” and I’m definitely open to any questions that any mon may have, and that you know, we can take it from there as a conversation. — Damian Marley
Sometimes it’s a little bit tricky to speak on the future. You can’t really just speak open about the future and say well this is the plan. In terms of that what we do is because of the people we are. It’s not because of, I think, there’s a responsibility or, it’s a duty to live up to this name. Of course, my name is a part of who I am and a part of my up bringing and a part of my consciousness, but what we do, even though my family in general, what we do, is something from the heart. It’s not something that’s about being a Marley. It’s about being a human being. And me personally I don’t like to speak about charitable things. The Bible tell you say when you give you mustn’t talk about it, you mustn’t speak about charity. I’m not here to sell myself on charity, you know me say? — Damian Marley
Marcus Garvey you said? Marcus Garvey plays a great role in any Rasta man’s life. Whether directly or indiretly, because Marcus Garvey has a great deal to do with the sparking of the Rastafari faith, you know me say? When Marcus Garvey, told he said to look to the east for the coming of a King that is seen as prophecy within our culture of Rastafari. You see what me said, so. Without even, a Rasta man having to read a book or know much about Marcus Garvey, you really couldn’t be a Rasta without him. You know what me say? So. Marcus Garvey is very instrumental in terms of pride in African people, people of African descent. Moreso, not even just in Jamaica, when you go to America, a lot of the you know Civil Rights Movement and Black Movements in America was really, he was one of the forefront runners, and you know, most inspirational figures in the beginning of those movements. And even, before, I think coming from Jamaica have a lot to do with that because we as Jamaica, here is is, predominantly black people, in terms of the population. In America, it’s not so. So people in America, black people in America have a different kind of mentality than Jamaican people. Jamaican people have a different kind of pride. We not used to — we used to, when you come to the passport office, there’s a black man sign off on your thing. And you understand (unintelligible). So. That kind of thing really help to, I feel, has a great deal to do with how Marcus Garvey came to be who he is to this day. Otherwise on that, I read some of his literature and I think um, it’s very inspirational for young people. Especially young underprivileged people. You know, he was into detail about, for example, the hygiene. Tell you cannot be the public speaker if flies are flying in your mouth, and things of this nature. So. In really going to detail when shining light into dark places. And we really love that. Rasta!
— Damian Marley
I was given Halfway Tree in 2001. And that’s one of the best gifts I’ve gotten. And I listen to it constantly for inspiration. I have a question for you. I think that some of the young people in here, before they end their degrees here — I have a question. Some of, most of the people in here, on the way to finding themselves may come across a question about what to do with themselves. Do you do what you’re called to do, what you’re loved to do, what your passion is, or what it is that your enrolled to do, that society tells you to do? What would be your one line of encouragement to the young people who are trying to determine do we follow passion, do we follow dream or do we do what we’re told?
I was given Halfway Tree in 2001. And that’s one of the best gifts I’ve gotten. And I listen to it constantly for inspiration. I have a question for you. I think that some of the young people in here, before they end their degrees here — I have a question. Some of, most of the people in here, on the way to finding themselves may come across a question about what to do with themselves. Do you do what you’re called to do, what you’re loved to do, what your passion is, or what it is that your enrolled to do, that society tells you to do? What would be your one line of encouragement to the young people who are trying to determine do we follow passion, do we follow dream or do we do what we’re told?
Actually I like to read a lot. You know, as I was telling you earlier, Martin Gladwell, that’s one of my favorite authors, I’ve read all of his books. Um, he has, I like he has a book called tipping point, I really like that book. The other one is outliers, you know what I mean? I’ve read the 48 laws of power, The Art of Seduction, what’s that other one, The Art of War? So you know, I like books like that. I like books that, especially that give you historical snippets. I like that kind of thing. I like history, but sometimes I don’t like to sit down and read a history book, it gets a little bit boring. So I like when it gets broken up in little pieces like that, you know? Um, I like to read like a magazines. You know when it comes down to like the music business, especially stuff like that too. The Bible, somewhat. Books of that nature, you know.
Me love music. You know what I mean. But bigger brother know that relationship is coming from, tying shoelace. Playing ball. Ride bicycle. You understand me? So, it’s a natural family relationship. That music is just another activity that we do together. So it’s not, you know, it’s not really that we say well, when we put time aside and work on careers as brothers, it’s, it’s everything we do together anyway. So it’s so happen that way that we do music together also. And is, and he still play the role of the older brother, just like in any family plays. You know what I say? — Damian Marley
48 minute mark, Damian is asked about the word nigger. Responds it’s just semantics and is no different than the word Negus, a word meaning royalty, and the two are now interchangeable potentially and the word nigger comes from Negus and by and large isn’t taken that seriously by today’s peoples anyways.
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