The In-Between and the Postcolonial Aesthetic of Reggae

Abstract

This article focuses on reggae music’s postcolonial Caribbean aesthetic, following the ideas of Ghanaian-born Jamaican author Kwame Dawes. It is proposed that this aesthetic is closely related to two of Homi Bhabha’s concepts in the framework of postcolonial criticism: the in-between and hybridity. With the aim of proving this point, we analyze the lyrics and music of three reggae songs in chronological order. The works analyzed are Desmond Dekker & The Aces’ “Israelites”, Gregory Isaacs’ “Word of the Farmer”, and Burning Spear’s “Columbus”; musical productions spanning from 1968 to 1980. Constant references to Bhabha’s The Location of Culture and Dawes’ Natural Mysticism are used in order to support their arguments. The conclusion seeks to acknowledge how reggae artists have incorporated ideas from both Africa and Europe in order to create new thoughts while maintaining certain unifying characteristics. This is especially evident through specific themes in the compositions, such as establishing Africa as a homeland and re-evaluating history, as well as in the musicalization. Finally, Bhabha’s ideas allow for the discursive complexity of this Caribbean musical genre to be shown more clearly, as explored through the selected works