Cordel Green on popular culture

It's all smiles as Gavinchi enjoys a moment with guest speaker at the launch of his debut album Cordel Green.

Gavinchi, is an artiste who defies the argument that an artiste should simply give the people what they want in order to 'eat a food' under the guise of reflecting what is happening in society.
That was the expressed view of guest speaker Cordel Green, the executive director of the Jamaica Broadcasting Commission at the launch of Gavinchi's album, Release Di Truth.

Green told the large gathering of industry players inside the Jonkanoo Lounge of the Wyndham Hotel, that he was proud to identify with Gavinchi, the son of veteran female artiste Shirley McLean and well known radio personality, Owen 'OB' Brown.

Born Gavin Brown, Gavinchi's debut set was hailed by the guest speaker as a very important project that he has embarked on to open the eyes of youths so they can see another way.
"I am especially proud to be here, at the launch of an album by a youngster. Gavinchi represents as a strong blackman, not as a weak bleached-man," declared Green in what was perhaps his most controversal utterance.

In an uncharacteristic firey tone, Green stated that, having examined popular music, he was compelled to agree with former prime minister Edward Seaga who wrote in a recent newspaper article that culture is the most powerful force in shaping people and branding nations. In that regard, he identified five discordant themes in our popular music "which makes the brand irresistibly schizophrenic."

In listing the condictions that he sees in the music, Green noted. "Love thy neighbour, but you can also be conceited and self-absorbed. Discipline yourself, but also take risks in order to enjoy yourself. The people are poor and must be uplifted, but the people should consume and live with abundance outside their means. Do your duty, but blame everybody else. Fight for your rights, justice and social equality, but exploit women and oppressed men who are different. Beyond that, as we have seen from several recent incidents, now a days, it is quite difficult to draw a firm line."

The guest speaker obsevered from several recent incidents that it has become quite difficult to draw a firm line between artistic creative imagination and real life activities of artistes.

"Against this background, it has to be understood, that the right to creative expression is not simply the right to say anything we want. Saying anything we want is not creative expression. It is simply expression," the guest speaker remarked.
"One gets creative," Green argued, "when there is the capacity to adopt what is created to specific circumstances, or to create for specific circumstances...."
Green went on to suggest that as a people, we have embarked on a betrayal of Marcus Garvey. "Why did he (Garvey) teach elocution. Was it not that he understood that the black man, the poor man, should be able to rise to high levels on any stage, anywhere in the world using any language of power, whether it is the Jamaican vernacular or Chinese."

Having said that, Cordel Green further suggested that there is a need to begin to argue about the direction of Jamaica and the role of culture. "It is against this background that I am here this evening to identify with Gavinchi's mission. In the title track release di truth where he states release di truth mek di youth dem rise. Open dem eyes to see another way. That is a very important mission that this young man has embarked on."