{"id":1055,"date":"2013-03-03T15:06:28","date_gmt":"2013-03-03T15:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/?p=1055"},"modified":"2013-03-03T15:06:28","modified_gmt":"2013-03-03T15:06:28","slug":"jimmy-cliff-jamaicas-superstar-of-endurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quiliby.com\/all\/jimmy-cliff-jamaicas-superstar-of-endurance.html","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy Cliff \u2014 Jamaica’s superstar of endurance"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following article, written by Everton Pryce and published in the Jamaican Observer, <\/em>Mar. 03, 2013, pays homage to one of the all-time greats of reggae music, Jimmy Cliff.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There is a proverb, suspected to be of Chinese origin, which goes something like this: “If you remain on the bank of the river long enough, you will see the bones of your enemies floating by.”<\/p>\n

Jimmy Cliff, it is fair to say, has endured the cynicism of many detractors throughout his illustrious career, which involved him crossing many rivers on his way to winning two Grammy Awards (1986 and 2013) in the reggae category.<\/p>\n

A great many of these detractors now bask in his illustrious achievements as creative artiste, singer, actor and poet, underlining the sterling contribution made to Jamaican culture and history by the creativity and collective experience of the mass of the population who are poor, dispossessed and marginalised.<\/p>\n

When superstar Cliff was presented with the Manley Award for Excellence over 27 years ago, some upstart and mean-spirited artistes, along with a few misguided music journalists, thought it was an insult to those regarded as the “real musicians”. It was never made clear what “real musicians” implied, but presumably it meant those who reproduced other people’s music over the years. Acts of genuine creativity out of the ordinary people’s experience were regarded then as retreat into atavism.<\/p>\n

Yet, the enduring voices of artistes like Bob Marley, Buju Banton, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Joseph Hill (of the group Culture) \u2014 to name just a few \u2014 and Jimmy Cliff, have uttered in their own inimitable way, maxims of prudence, guides to development, sharp historical analysis, and insights into the human condition.<\/p>\n

In his song Price of Peace, for example, Cliff analyses the historical relations of a particular epoch of Jamaican life as only those who speak to reality through the arts of the imagination can:<\/p>\n

“You stole my history\/<\/p>\n

Destroyed my culture\/<\/p>\n

Cut out my tongue\/<\/p>\n

So I can’t communicate\/<\/p>\n

Then you mediate\/<\/p>\n

And separate\/<\/p>\n

Hide my whole way of life\/<\/p>\n

So myself I should hate…”<\/p>\n

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