Kingsley 'Ragashanti' Stewart makes his presentation entitled : Enter The Dancehall at the UWI Commemoration Concert and Pelican Awards,held at Assembly Hall, UWI, on Sunday, February 18. - Nathaniel Stewart

by Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

When Kingsley 'Ragashanti' Stewart walked to the microphone at the Assembly Hall, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, on Sunday night, he was smiling slightly.

The penultimate performer in the first segment of the Grand Commemoration Concert and Pelican Awards 2007 said, "well, election coming up and true to Jamaican culture much drama prevails. To use the vernacular of dancehall, all kin' a passa passa deh."

"We have never been shy about interpreting our experiences through performance. Dancehall has its own aesthetic," he said, as a prelude to his presentation Enter The Dancehall, as indicated on the programme.

"Fear not, we will not go all the way in the aesthetic," he comforted, indicating his extreme respect for Marjorie Whylie, who was at the piano through most of the concert. Ragashanti went into Election Time Again, noting "you probably won't pick up some things is you haven't been following the news. But you will get a vibes."

He broke into song with election time again, voting time again, politics dominate again, but when yu defen' yu party, JLP or PNP, no badda wid no war, no mek no duppy."

And then the personae of 'Shower' and 'Comrade' had a back and forth through Ragashanti's rhythmically delivered lyrics, comrade telling shower that his leader can 'galang, everything him chat a pure rang bang, an Jamaica no want no bangarang, dats why comrade still a tan pan e-long'.

But shower retorted with "all yu leader know how fi do a kiss, no hug an' kiss cyaan help Jamaica, dutty up people face wid har mout' water." And comrade was up to the reply with "comrade bus full, Jamaica a sey driva". And the audience completed 'don't stop at all".

Shower invited comrade to 'hear da song ya' and chanted 'Trafigura, Trafigura' to the melody of the 'Halleluiajah Chorus'. And comrade had a song on his lips in reply with 'tainted money, tainted money'.

Shower had pity for a leader who says "I was appointed by God, poor ting a now she mad".

In the end, "though me a comrade an yu a labour/dat naa stop we from tek care a one anadda, whether P or J or no letter, we no want no killing or no murder."

Ragashanti concluded: "Jamrock up front election peacefully", before once again singing "election time again, voting time again, politics dominate again, but when yu defen' yu party, JLP or PNP, no badda wid no war, no mek no duppy."

The audience, which had reacted throughout, applauded enthusiastically.