Emancipation from Mental Slavery

May 16, 2011 Editorial

In this International Year for People of African Descent, it is only right that we remember one of the greatest Africans ever, who was born right here in the Caribbean.
By the time he passed away on May 11, 1981, thirty years ago at the age of only thirty six, he was known and revered across the world. Known for his heroic inspiration to bring “Emancipation from Mental Slavery” to all peoples of the world, held in thrall by colonialism and neo-colonialism. His name was Robert Nesta Marley. Below are excerpts from a tribute written by Horace Campbell, author of “Rasta and Resistance” and professor of African American studies and political science at Syracuse University.
“It is usually from the most rural areas where the cognitive skills and the history of community solidarity continue to prevent total mental breakdown. Bob Marley was born in the rural areas in the island of Jamaica in February 1945. He was the product of an interracial relationship between an English military person (Norman Marley, a captain in the colonial army and overseer) and an African woman, Cedilla Booker, from Jamaica. Marley identified with Africa and broke the long tradition of mixed-race persons who denied their African heritage. Bob Marley spent his early years in the lush countryside of St Ann, but moved with his mother to Kingston while still in his early teens.
He grew up in Trench Town among the most oppressed sections of the working-class districts of Kingston and was influenced by the Rastafari movement. His formal education came from the Rastafari who developed independent bases for educating the people so that they could escape ‘brainwash education.’ The Rastafari movement has been one of the most profound attempts to transform the consciousness of the Caribbean people so that they recognised their African roots and celebrated Africa’s contributions to humanity.
Bob Marley was one of the most articulate spokespersons for peace, love and justice. His music of inspiration continues to act as a rallying cry for those who are struggling for change. One of the songs that continues to be played in all parts of the world is ‘Get up stand up, stand up for your rights.’ Bob Marley was aware that there could be no peace in a world of injustice and brutal exploitation. The task of the revolutionary artist and revolutionary intellectual was to unearth the revolutionary potential of the people. This Bob Marley consciously sought to do through his music and concerts. In his last years, his concerts were like giant political rallies.
In the last album, appropriately called ‘Uprisings’, Marley reminded the people that they should ‘have no fear of atomic energy for none of them can stop the time’. The song ‘Redemption song’ exposed the versatility of Marley when he returned to strumming the guitar and asked simply, ‘How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look?’ This was where Marley called on the people to ‘Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but our selves can free our minds.’
This theme of self-emancipation sought to bring the fusion of the ideas of spirituality with the revolutionary changes in the material and technical conditions of production. Reggae music was an early attempt at this fusion in order to provide emancipation from mental slavery so that humans could unleash the latent power of self-expression. In essence, when the Rastafari and Bob Marley called on us to ‘emancipate ourselves from mental slavery,’ they are admonishing the intellectuals and the activists to make a break with the epistemologies that justify and cover up oppression.
As we remember Bob Marley, revolutionaries will seek his inspiration to push for a quantum leap beyond the world of capitalist oppression, dehumanisation and injustice. Most importantly, in order to move from resistance to transformation and achieve the quantum leap that takes us beyond the world of exploitation and dehumanisation, we must ultimately emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, and from the capitalist forces that celebrate genocide, subjugation, military invasions, environmental plunder and crimes against humanity as progress.”

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News