Arts and Culture Corner…The Yoruba Singers-Part Two

Jun 13, 2016 News

By Kiana A. Wilburg
The eroding respect for Guyana’s musicians.
Perhaps no single band in Guyana’s musical history has done more to promote, preserve and distribute folk music than the Yoruba Singers.
The leader of the Band, Eze Rockcliffe is well known for his adoration for politics, the desire to see the development of Guyana’s music industry and his compassion for humanity. These qualities and more have earned him and his band nothing but ardent fans beyond these shores.
Today, we continue with an interview that was conducted with Rockcliffe. In the first edition, he shared his views on his band’s accomplishments and Guyana’s struggle to find a firm placement regionally and internationally with its own sound and music.
Even at age 65, this avid reader is gearing for the launch of the some of the Yoruba’s classics in the Australian market and remains in high spirits about the growth of Guyanese music.
Here is our conclusion of that dialogue with the leader of a band that is undoubtedly the legendary pioneer of the true Guyanese sound.
Kaieteur News (KN): There were some criticisms that local artistes ended up being placed in the background due to the invasion of regional and international artistes for Guyana’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. Do you agree with this?
Eze Rockcliffe (ER): We are part of the Caribbean. And I wish to share that I have been to festivals to help celebrate some of their cultural programmes. I have been to Suriname, for example, for their cultural festivals in 1975. I have even been to the USA, where I performed at several shows which were not of a Guyanese or Caribbean origin or influence. So my point with that is to say that I am not against other artistes coming to Guyana to help us celebrate such a grand occasion. However, there should have been a policy in place that could have provided guidance on what kind of festival we were going to have and what kind of input would be needed and from whom. We can all learn from other artistes regardless of whether they come from Timbuktu or Peru. I would argue however that in terms of the artistes, there should have been more of a Guyanese dominance when it comes to all the shows that were hosted; but again, there was no policy that was put in place to deal with that.
KN: Who do you think is responsible for that?

Leader of the Yoruba Singers, Eze Rockcliffe

The Yoruba Singers during one of their performances

ER: I don’t know who is responsible for that but what I do know is that the authorities, who were doing all these things for Guyana’s Golden Jubilee, whether from the corporate side or government, should have at least had more foresight.
KN: Some contend that the menu of activities for the Jubilee season was affected by poor management by those who were in charge. What is your take on this?
ER: I believe there would be a lot of excuses where such a matter is concerned. Some may say that the new administration is just a year old and I can accept that to some extent, but still, you had at least one year to do a much better job than that which was delivered for the citizenry. I would lay more blame on the corporate sector as well, because they had many years to prepare for such a season. It did not just appear on us by surprise. And most of the corporate people in this country are Guyanese and given some of the shows that they hosted with regional artistes, it left me questioning if they had any real regard for local talent. They might want to argue that they do, but if you have the Beres Hammond show then you should have the Yoruba Singers alongside or Johnny Braff or Ivor Lynch or Aubrey Mann etc. on the same stage…In other words, there is a total lack of leadership when it comes to the music industry and the corporate and the government side must take a fair share of blame for it.
KN: What has disappointed you the most about Guyana’s music industry?
ER: The lack of encouragement from both corporate Guyana and the Government
KN: In spite of the shortcomings, do you think that the industry has made some improvements?
ER: This has occurred to a certain degree, but when it comes to respect for musicians in Guyana, I would have to say no. It has digressed. In the 60s, Guyana was on par with Trinidad and Jamaica when it comes to music and musicians used to come here for us to give them leadership…Some musicians used to be hired to lead bands over there in Trinidad and that does not happen now . Several Calypsonians such as the Mighty Panther used to go to Calypso tents in TT and perform and that is no more. Johnny Braff used to fill theatres in Barbados and right through the Caribbean, Ivor Lynch and others did the same and that is no more. Our artistes are not being allowed to be headliners in their homeland and that is the sort of respect and encouragement I am talking about. Additionally, I would implore our young artistes to learn about their country’s musical history. I don’t want it to be misconstrued though that I don’t believe that music hasn’t evolved in Guyana. It has, but when it comes to respect for musicians, it has digressed. I think we have a problem when it comes to marketing and investing in our people and the industry has failed us.
KN: Where do you think the Government could start when it comes to boosting the industry?
ER: They can start by formulating a policy as a guideline towards artistic development.
KN: Do you think a reformed Copyright Legislation would be enough to help musicians live off of their craft?
ER: It’s not the entire solution, but that would go a far way.
KN: Is it your intention to pass on the Band to any of your children so that they can carry on your work, your legacy?
ER: Once they are interested, it would be my pleasure to. I have three sons (Zawdie, Ato, and Walvin) who worked with me in the band and they have all done well.
KN How optimistic are you about the longevity of folklore music in Guyana?
ER: Well, that would be a matter for the administrators and musicians in this country and for the corporate world as well. Dave Martins and the Tradewinds have done a fantastic job in keeping folk traditions alive and I applaud him heavily and another group which has done a great job in this area is the Chronicle Atlantic Symphony… But I am a spiritual person and because of the God that I serve I know folklore music would not die.
KN: with all that you have experienced in Guyana’s music industry, if you had the chance to do it all over again, would you still choose the Yoruba band as your bread and butter?
ER: With all the challenges, yes, I would do it all over again, but differently. First of all, I would have ensured that I was a literate musician, study the business of music and music itself. In other words, I would have learned how to read and write music properly and be efficient on a particular instrument other than my voice.