Long Live The Griot
Saturday/Sunday, September 29, 2007.
By Andrew Togobo
Griot: a storyteller in West Africa; one who perpetuates the oral traditions of a family or community. The keepers of history.
These are baron-times in black music. Ask anyone. They’ll tell you: “It’s not what it used to be.” We are forced to reminisce back to better times, whether that is ten years ago with the final hour of hip hop’s golden era, or forty years ago with the height of soul music.
In these baron times, the average artist is mute in the face of worldwide social issues. It would appear remnants of consciousness only appear when rehashing words of Bob Geldof’s wish for snow in Africa.
Consequently, the world looks bleak for black youth, stigmatised as menaces to themselves, their families, and society. Much of today’s youth have little concern of events that occurred before their birth dates.
This choice of ignorance is not helped by the schools and is fuelled by industries who’ve mastered the art of heralding the most ignorant artists as role models. Ten or fifteen years ago, role models were figures like Public Enemy or Brand Nubian.
Ten or fifteen years before that, the role models were Muhammad Ali and Bob Marley. Ten years before that it was Malcolm X, Marvin Gaye, and Sam Cooke. All had a degree of socio-political consciousness that injected serious issues to their listening public. These are indeed barren times when the minds of the youth are warped by a music machine designed to misrepresent them.
Behind this world of despair, however, a glimmer of hope is rising on every corner of the globe.
A chorus of marginalised voices in black communities from the UK to the US, Canada and southern Africa are turning the tide. They have resurrected the legacy of the griot and speak with the authority of Malcolm X and the prowess of rappers. Known as modern day griots, spoken word artists, or performance poets, these fearless wordsmiths have created the most vibrant underground community in London. The circuit is filled with creative individuals who have accepted the right to exercise their freedom of speech. Topics range from social injustice, exploitation, racism, and street violence, to love and sex. You really don’t know what to expect when a poet is on stage, which is the beauty of the art.
There are no restrictions. These poets have erupted at the worst point in black music, as though they were manufactured to explode their scriptures like prophets from the Old Testament. Along with their various messages, they are also arriving with the highest form of lyrical evolution previously occupied by rap.
Ironically, poets were the ones who originally ushered in the onslaught of rap music.
Artists such as The Last Poets, The Watts Prophets and Gill Scott Heron paved the way in the 60’s and 70’s for what rap would later become. Around the same time in Britain, Benjamin Zepphaniah and Linton Kwesi Jones laid the foundations for what poets like Malika B, Jonzi D, and Adisa were to achieve in the early nineties.
This underground community is not new, but has never had the mass recognition it deserves. However, its resurgence is spreading like a virus with many Britain-based artists travelling to poetry circles throughout the globe, and receiving a steady stream of international guests visiting the UK.
These artists are not funded by a label. They believe only self-motivation will develop this art. Ask London-based poet Amen Noir who recorded, produced, wrote, performed, packaged, marketed, and distributed three CDs with his own hands.
Although the popularity has grown over the years, it is still spread on a word-of-mouth basis. The audiences who have been attending, however, have been privy to some of the most exciting acts in the UK. Like the formative beginnings of Grammy-nominated Floetry before their plane trip to Philadelphia, rapper Estelle before Top of the Pops, and fellow emcee Ty.
Ty is particularly fond of the poetry circles, giving reference to two of his favourite poetry events Soul food and Urban Griots in his song I Want To. He also invited UK poetry heavyweight shortMAN to feature on Rain, in his mercury-nominated album Upwards.
For years, poets have remained in insular friendly communities honing their craft, inviting the uninitiated to be converted, and preaching to the choir. But now they are entering a new phase of their ascension, bravely marching into uncharted territories in an attempt to combat the steady stream of negative music.
Their work is slowly achieving its deserved exposure. Some poets can be heard on radio stations such as Genesis, Power Jam, and Flame FM. You can see others on cable stations like OBE, BEN and ACTV. Kat Francois was winner of the BBC poetry slam, and open mic shows have become eagerly awaited events.
Flagship events such as Kindred Spirit have integrated poets in their line-up of singers, rappers and other musicians. It is beautiful watching the marked showmanship poets have when in the company of other artists.
There seems no end to the rise of the poets and probably the most exciting formation has been the unification of some of the UK’s spoken word heavyweights. Tuggs.t.a.r, Amen Noir, OneNess and ShakaRa have joined forces to present The Best Kept Secret collective. This has expanded the word into the realms of theatre.
In 2004, they performed two nights of sold-out performances in the Oval Theatre. In a sense they are the UK’s reincarnation of the Last Poets. Let’s hope they are not the last, but merely the beginning of something new.
Make no mistake; in this current climate, poets have no equal, and as long as they are willing to push their boundaries, there is still hope of a brighter day. They must guard against the dilution of messages, thereby forcing the search for new art forms to express age-old prophecies. Long live the griot!
Main picture: Linton Kwesi Johnson
Andrew Togobo is with Rice’n’peas Magazine where this piece first appeared.
Please e-mail comments to comments@thenewblackmagazine.com
Send to a friend |
View/Hide Comments (0) |
You really make it appear so easy together with your presentation but I to find this matter to be
really something that I think I’d by no means
understand. It kind of feels too complicated and very huge for me.
I’m looking forward for your subsequent post, I’ll attempt
to get the hang of it! Escape room lista
I like this website it’s a master piece! Glad I detected this on google..
When I originally commented I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I get 4 emails with the exact same comment. Is there a means you are able to remove me from that service? Cheers.
Excellent article. I absolutely love this website. Keep writing!
Great info. Lucky me I ran across your blog by chance (stumbleupon). I’ve saved as a favorite for later.
I used to be able to find good information from your content.
Very nice article. I absolutely love this site. Keep writing!
Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular article! It’s the little changes that will make the biggest changes. Thanks for sharing!
This is a topic which is near to my heart… Thank you! Exactly where can I find the contact details for questions?
Great post. I’m going through many of these issues as well..
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday. It will always be interesting to read content from other authors and practice something from their sites.
Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thanks, However I am having issues with your RSS. I don’t understand why I can’t subscribe to it. Is there anybody having identical RSS issues? Anyone that knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanx!!
Saved as a favorite, I love your site!
This is a topic that’s near to my heart… Take care! Exactly where are your contact details though?
This is a topic that’s near to my heart… Many thanks! Exactly where are your contact details though?
Everything is very open with a clear explanation of the issues. It was really informative. Your website is extremely helpful. Many thanks for sharing.
Hi! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after browsing through a few of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely pleased I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back regularly!
I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this website. I’m hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own website now 😉
I blog often and I really thank you for your content. The article has really peaked my interest. I’m going to take a note of your site and keep checking for new details about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.
Hi there! I just want to give you a huge thumbs up for the excellent info you’ve got right here on this post. I am returning to your blog for more soon.
This really helped me see things differently!
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I believe that you ought to publish more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but usually folks don’t talk about these subjects. To the next! Many thanks.
Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Many thanks, However I am experiencing troubles with your RSS. I don’t know why I cannot subscribe to it. Is there anybody else having identical RSS problems? Anybody who knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanx.
Pretty! This has been an extremely wonderful article. Many thanks for supplying this info.
Greetings! Very useful advice within this post! It is the little changes which will make the largest changes. Many thanks for sharing!
There is definately a great deal to find out about this subject. I love all the points you have made.
This is the perfect website for anyone who wishes to find out about this topic. You understand so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject which has been written about for ages. Wonderful stuff, just excellent.
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this site. I’m hoping to see the same high-grade blog posts from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own, personal website now 😉
You need to take part in a contest for one of the finest sites on the internet. I will highly recommend this blog!
Having read this I believed it was rather enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this short article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile.
This is a topic that’s close to my heart… Best wishes! Where are your contact details though?
Hello there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with SEO?
I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good success.
If you know of any please share. Appreciate it! I saw
similar art here: Wool product
Very good post. I am going through a few of these issues as well..
I’d like to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this blog. I’m hoping to see the same high-grade content by you in the future as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my very own blog now 😉
Right here is the perfect web site for anyone who would like to understand this topic. You know so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject that has been written about for years. Great stuff, just great.
Hi there, I do believe your web site might be having internet browser compatibility problems. When I look at your site in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other than that, fantastic site!
Very good information. Lucky me I came across your blog by accident (stumbleupon). I have book-marked it for later!
This is the right web site for anybody who really wants to understand this topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually will need to…HaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a subject that’s been discussed for a long time. Excellent stuff, just great.
When I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Perhaps there is a means you can remove me from that service? Thank you.
I love it whenever people come together and share opinions. Great blog, keep it up!
A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you ought to write more on this subject matter, it might not be a taboo subject but generally people do not discuss these topics. To the next! Cheers.
Next time I read a blog, I hope that it does not fail me just as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, but I genuinely thought you’d have something useful to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you could fix if you were not too busy looking for attention.
You’ve made some decent points there. I checked on the internet for more information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.
May I simply say what a comfort to discover someone who actually understands what they are talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More and more people must read this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you are not more popular given that you certainly possess the gift.
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it won’t fail me just as much as this one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I genuinely believed you’d have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something that you could fix if you weren’t too busy seeking attention.
There is definately a lot to learn about this subject. I like all the points you’ve made.
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this website. I am hoping to see the same high-grade content by you later on as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my very own blog now 😉
I must thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this site. I really hope to check out the same high-grade content from you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own blog now 😉