Beyond the Slave Ship:: Theorizing the Limbo Imagination and Black Atlantic Performance Geographies

Black Music und ihre Performanzen sind Praktiken, der weitreichende kulturelle und historische Kontinuitäten vorgewiesen werden können. Der Artikel untersucht drei Ausdrucksformen und ihre nationenübergreifenden Interdependenzen. Dabei werden verschiedene geographische und performative Räume mit einander verknüpft. Vom Middle Passage Slave Ship Limbo führt der Artikel zum US-amerikanischen Blues und Jamaikanischen Dancehall bis hin zu den Südafrikanischen Shebens und zeigt auf, wie sich diese kulturellen Praktiken und Räume in Ausformungen gegenseitig bedingen und verändern

Of sacred crossroads: cultural studies and the Sacred A special issue edited by Sonjah Stanley Niaah

The Seventh International Association for Cultural Studies Crossroads Conference, held in 2008 at the University of the West Indies, in Mona, Jamaica, was staged for the first time with an overarching theme. Based on the cultural, spiritual and geographical diversity of the Caribbean region, the local conference organizing team insisted that the conference needed to reflect key aspects of the space. Consequently, the theme selected was “Of Sacred Crossroads”. The conference call for papers asked for a consideration of issues surrounding the dialogue between humanity and spirituality. In the face of increasing materialism and consumerism, as well as the prevailing emphasis on science and technology in contemporary society, participants celebrated the intangible heritage of humankind--that found in religion, art, dance, song, oratory, healing, re-creation, performance, ritual, belief systems, ethics, globalization and communication, among others

A study on the creative industry as a pillar of sustained growth and diversification: the film and music sectors in Jamaica: lessons from case studies of successful firms and ventures

In 2007 the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) published ‘The Cultural Industries in CARICOM: Trade and Development Challenges’ report, which stated that the film and music industries refer to “aesthetic, identity, and copyrightable goods, services and intellectual property. They represent a wide array of activities that make and circulate sounds, words, and images or a combination of these. It applies to artistic, creative, and copyright works that are for sale, license, commercialisation, or display in some marketplace or public arena.” Using the definition in the CARICOM report, this study will identify the critical success factors that have resulted in the global competitiveness and sustainability of individuals, firms and ventures within the music and film subsectors in Jamaica. To anchor the study of the individual firms and ventures, the study first evaluates the historical evolution and recent trends in the development of the music and film subsectors, including their economic contribution and the main challenges and opportunities for their further development and lessons learned

Prime time geographies: dancehall performance, visual communication and the philosophy of ‘Boundarylessness'

What is Dancehall, and how does it employ visual technologies? Dancehall is not just a musical genre. It is Jamaica’s premier popular street theatre, a celebration of the entire spectrum of life from birth to death, expressed at events that combine dance and music, where consenting adults leave their troubles behind just for a moment to revel in the deep and old rhythmic structures that transport them into scape beyond the urban, beyond the inner city, into spaces of fulfilment

Can Jamaica put music first?: a comment

Many development programmes fail because they don’t account for cultural contexts. In a context where cultural and creative industries represent 10% of the GNP in economies such as Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia, there is no doubt that culture is vital for their sustainable development

Humor, innovation, and competition in Jamaican music:

Book abstract. An essential part of human expression, humor plays a role in all forms of art, and humorous and comedic aspects have always been part of popular music. For the first time, The Routledge Companion to Popular Music and Humor draws together scholarship exploring how the element of humor interacts with the artistic and social aspects of the musical experience. Discussing humor in popular music across eras from Tin Pan Alley to the present, and examining the role of humor in different musical genres, case studies of artists, and media forms, this volume is a groundbreaking collection that provides a go-to reference for scholars in music, popular culture, and media studies

Remembering the Fire: Music Tourism and the Bob Marley heritage in Jamaica

Despite the growing significance of music tourism,few detailed studies have investigated the phenomenon and its contribution in particular localities, whether in terms of its impact on local economies and society, or in the appreciation and experiences of tourists in particular sites. Why do tourists visit places associated with music and what do they gain from this experience? How does such tourism contribute to local development? Based on fieldwork conducted in 2003, this paper explores musical tourism in the Caribbean, and specifically at its most important physical site, the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston. It offers an analysis of the role of nostalgia and memory in tourism, and of the manner in which religious and political themes transcend music and inform tourism. Further, the paper seeks to examine the significance of tourism at the Bob Marley Museum making arguments about the role of such sites for tourists and the local economy. Ultimately, the paper acknowledges the economic, cultural and political roles of music tourism in reshaping particular geographies while stimulating nostalgia, invigorating the local musical industry and celebrating the memory and legacy of a Jamaican icon