AN ANALYSIS BLACK PEOPLE’S STRUGGLE IN BOB MARLEY’S
SELECTED SONGS
A THESIS
BY:
NUR FATIMAH
Reg. No : 060705017
UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA
FACULTY OF LETTERS
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
MEDAN
AN ANALYSIS BLACK PEOPLE’S STRUGGLE IN BOB MARLEY’S
SELECTED SONGS
A Thesis
By:
NUR FATIMAH
Reg. No : 060705017
Supervisor,
Co-Supervisor
Dra. Martha Pardede, MS
Drs. Siamir Marulafau, M.Hum
NIP.19521229 197903 2 001
NIP.19580517 198503 1 003
Submitted to Faculty of Letters
University of Sumatera Utara Medan
In partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Sarjana Sastra
in the English Department
UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA
FACULTY OF LETTERS
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
MEDAN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Praise, honor, and great thank to Allah SWT, the almighty God for blessing me
and has given me opportunity to study in University of Sumatera Utara and helped me
to accomplish this thesis. Praise to the prophet Muhammad SAW, the leader of
messengers and guiding of faithful.
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to my
supervisors, Dra. Martha Pardede, M.S and Drs. Siamir Marulafau,M.Hum, for their
constructive critics and suggestions in supervising this thesis. Then I would like to thank
to the chairman and secretary of English Department, Dra. Swesana Mardia Lubis,
M.Hum.
I would like to give my great thanks and love to my family, especially my mom
(L. br Saragih) and dad (Bambang Sutedi), my lovely sisters, Nirmala and Ayu. Thank
you very much for every support, care, encouragement, advice, and love. May Allah
always bless us.
I also want to give my special gratitude to my best friend Ainiyati for all support
and kindness that has been given to me in finishing my thesis. Then I also thank to my
friends, Rika, Heni, Wilda, Alfa Reja, Otis, and many more that I cannot mention all
here. Thanks for spirit that has been given to me. I love you all.
Special thanks also I dedicated to all my brothers and sisters in GEMAPALA FS
USU, Three Angels, Sleepy Chicken, Penta Rhinos, 1216 and all seniors that always
give me all spirits and confidents in living my life. Keep on moving, make our lovely
GEMAPALA everlasting. Thanks for Leony who has shared her dormitory room and
make my life colored), Bang Otang, Bang Topo, (thanks for all critics that help me to be
better person), for Tulup, Baonk, Bebe, Ema, Tari, Leto, Laptus, Longgur, Satara, Pumi
to encourage me to accomplish this thesis and make my life brighter.
Thanks to all people in Dokter Mansur 18, Mama Inim, Kak Emil, Uci, Om
Nayat, Om Bie, Nanda, thanks for all kindness, attention, love and tolerance. May Allah
bless you all!
Finally I realize that this thesis is still far from perfect. I welcome all critics and
suggestions to make this thesis better. May this thesis will be useful for everyone who
would like to read or analyze the subject matter that related to this thesis’ analysis.
Medan, December 2010
ABSTRAK
NUR FATIMAH. The Analysis of Black’s Struggle in Bob Marley’s selected songs.
Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan. 2010.
Bob Marley adalah penyanyi legendaris asal Jamaica yang telah membuat
karya-karya hebat dalam bentuk lagu. Lagu-lagu yang diciptakannya telah membuat gebrakan
bagi dunia tentang sebuah kebebasan, bahkan beliau telah menjadi ikon untuk
kebebasan. Karya-karyanya banyak diciptakan untuk mengkritik ketidakadilan dan
diskriminasi ras pada masanya.
Berangkat dari permasalahan tersebut skripsi yang berjudul The Analysis of
Black’s Struggle in Bob Marley’s Selected Songs ini dihadirkan untuk mengungkap
bagaimana perjuangan orang-orang hitam dalam menghadapi hidupnya sebagai kelas
kedua dalam masyarakat Amerika dan Eropa, serta bagaimana mereka tetap
memperjuangkan kemerdekaan mereka. Dalam skripsi ini ada sembilan lagu ciptaan
Bob Marley yang dipilih untuk dianalisis. Lagu tersebut antara lain: Buffalo Soldier,
Redemption Song, Slave Driver, Blackman Redemption, Rastaman Live Up, Africa
Unite, and Survival.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……….…………i
ABSTRACT……….……...iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS………..….………..……...iv
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION……….…..…..……….1
1.1
The Reasons for Choosing the Topic………..………..….6
1.2
The Statement of the Problem………..…..………7
1.3
Objective of the Analysis………...………. ..8
1.4
Scope of the Analysis……..………...8
1.5
Method of the Analysis……… ……….…....8
1.6
The Significance of the Analysis………...………….……9
1.7
Review of Related Literature………...…….10
CHAPTER II: METHOD OF ANALYSIS………..………….…11
CHAPTER III: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF BLACK PEOPLE IN
UNITED STATES………...………..13
3.1.
Slavery………..……….13
3.2
Revolution………..………19
PEOPLE IN BOB MARLEY’S SELECTED SONGS…….……22
4.1 Slave Driver……….………..23
4.2 Buffalo Soldier………...26
4.3 Redemption Song……….………..30
4.4 Small Axe….………..32
4.5 Get Up, Stand Up………...34.
4.6 Blackman Redemption………...38
4.7 Rastaman Live Up……….41
4.8 Africa Unite………..…46
4.9 Survival……….48
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSSION AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1 Conclusion………52
5.2 Suggestions………..54
ABSTRAK
NUR FATIMAH. The Analysis of Black’s Struggle in Bob Marley’s selected songs.
Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan. 2010.
Bob Marley adalah penyanyi legendaris asal Jamaica yang telah membuat
karya-karya hebat dalam bentuk lagu. Lagu-lagu yang diciptakannya telah membuat gebrakan
bagi dunia tentang sebuah kebebasan, bahkan beliau telah menjadi ikon untuk
kebebasan. Karya-karyanya banyak diciptakan untuk mengkritik ketidakadilan dan
diskriminasi ras pada masanya.
Berangkat dari permasalahan tersebut skripsi yang berjudul The Analysis of
Black’s Struggle in Bob Marley’s Selected Songs ini dihadirkan untuk mengungkap
bagaimana perjuangan orang-orang hitam dalam menghadapi hidupnya sebagai kelas
kedua dalam masyarakat Amerika dan Eropa, serta bagaimana mereka tetap
memperjuangkan kemerdekaan mereka. Dalam skripsi ini ada sembilan lagu ciptaan
Bob Marley yang dipilih untuk dianalisis. Lagu tersebut antara lain: Buffalo Soldier,
Redemption Song, Slave Driver, Blackman Redemption, Rastaman Live Up, Africa
Unite, and Survival.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
There are many ways to express idea and feeling. One way to express idea or feeling is a song. A Song has some major elements to support the idea or the theme that will be conveyed by the singer. They are lyric, music, and melody. Lyrics of song are sometimes adapted from poem. It has the same structure and characteristic with poetry. Poetry has the stanzas; it has the same elements with song which also has the stanzas that we called the lyrics. A poem that is sung by someone can be called as a song. Sometimes songs are intended to express the unexpressed feeling, situation or the unspeakable word. Song has the same function as poetry does, because song consists of the stanzas that are sung by people.
…. Both poetry and song are literary poems that deal with emotion of a particular individual, regarding a particular situation. Furthermore, poetry verses and lines of song often follow a rhyming scheme, giving a sense of melody to the verses, even when the lines are merely recited. There are a number of different lyrics used in songs that derived from poetry. Take for instance, The Star Spangled Banner, which is the National Anthem of the United States. The lyrics of the song were actually derived from the poem of the same title, and written by Franciss Scott Key. (Poetry vs Song, www.differencebetwen.net, 22 December 2009)
Talking about poetry, we will think about beautiful word, diction, idiom, symbols and stanzas. However, we need to know poetry at a glance. Poetry is an expression of writer’s idea that uses the selected word to beautify its stanza. We also will find some symbols in it, that’s why poetry has more specific meaning that the word itself.
Lucelles Ubercombie in Pardede’s Understanding Poetry (2008:6) says that poetry is the expression of imaginative experience, valid simply as such and significant as such communicable given by language which employ every available and appropriate device. Kasim (2005:40) mentions in Introduction to Literature (teaching materials):
Based on its form, poetry can be divided in to seven forms; they are ballad, ode, elegy, pastoral, sonnet, confessionals, and free verse. Some of that poetry was created in order to be sung and preserved orally among illiterate or semiliterate people. People sing to express their feeling.
Literature is the mirror of life. It reflects human life and all phenomena that appear in daily life. Literature can be anything that expressed even something impossible. However, the writers are not the liar because of their imaginative or even their silly mind that creates silly words as their works. Those words may have the deeper meaning that we never think before. It may contain of the various value and idea, philosophical idea for instance. Literature is the way to express the experience of the writers. They write whatever they see, whatever they hear, whatever they want to say by using selected and special ordered words to make their work beautiful.
Songs also reflects the phenomena of daily life and the events that happened in certain time. It usually conveys the idea of the writer to describe the events that maybe have been forgotten by people and even if it is not realized by people. Therefore, I would like to discuss the aspect of life and the phenomena which are described in the songs through literature point of view that is poetry.
Songs have important function in daily life especially for expressing the unexpressed feeling. People who can’t convey their idea because they are oppressed use songs to express their feeling. For example, when there is a demonstration of students, the participants sing together in order to get more spirit. They sing the stanzas which is their protest to something.
Song and freedom are probably familiar with us. These words are used by people who create some songs for their freedom and these words can make the revolution in black people experience and free them from the slavery of white people in America and European. In this thesis, black American will be the foremost topics to discuss.
America is a big continent; it has various nations, races, ethnic and lifestyle. Nowadays, black people dominate that continent. However, if we look back to the history of America it remains a terrible memory. It leads us to remember the slavery in the United States and the brutal racial segregation that hurt the black people. It is counted among more than 36 million people of African descent lived in the United States. At the beginning of the 21st century there are millions who migrated to United State voluntarily during 20th century. They came from the island of Caribbean, continued a pattern that began the slavery era. That was the situation where the black people supposed to have the lower status than white people did and the white people enslave them. They worked hard, built the bridge, railway, and they become the soldier in civil war against the Indian people to expand United States’ region.
societies, the sources of the vast majority of enslaved Africans in the America, had dynamic, vibrant, and expressive cultures. The languages spoken were unusually animated, by most European standard. No festival or life cycle celebration was complete without the presence of music, the moving rhythmic center of traditional African social and cultural life.
As Amiri Baraka said in The Phenomenon of Soul in African-American Music (Dodson, 2003:180) that the work song was primarily secular, but there were always similar musical and emotional element in both aspect of black musical culture. The religious music yearns for choosing into a new life, a raising of this life onto “higher ground” an ultimate salvation of the person and their soul and freedom for this wearying slavery world. It is true that song can express the optimism and critical realism. Black people criticize their life by the songs; they also use it to claim the white people for their behaviors because they only the slaves. They can’t do anything, however many of them tried to escape and they got the worst punishment. Therefore, they use songs as the medium to express their rejection to their life. They struggled to get the same right with white people and they start to rebel and struggle their right for their live. They began to publish their freedom struggle by song lyric.
Bob Marley is one of the famous figures who contribute the work to the struggle of black people. He was born in the Caribbean island-nation of Jamaica in 1945. He and his reggae music sounded the songs for freedom. He created the songs that describe the struggle of black people against the white people. Although Marley never declares himself as a politician or prophet, his music was very much reflective the times. It inspires the people to not only recognize the continuation of the struggle for liberation and social justice but also to take up the international call to reverse the social processes of colonialism and neo-colonialism that happened from 15th century to 19th century.
Caribbean. The youth of South Africa in 1976 made a popular protest and rebellion collected the pan-African solidarity and global support for Caribbean. This same year Bob Marley and the Wailers released the legendary album “Rastaman Vibration.”
There were so many actions done by Bob Marley through his songs to struggle the blacks’ right. For example, he held a concert that was performed to help to steer Zimbabwe into independence. He held the benefit concert in Boston to raise funds for the freedom fighter in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The concert was a success with over 25,000 people in attendance and it featured Marley straying from the script and giving a heartfelt speech on African Unity.
1.1 The Reasons For Choosing the Topic
Discrimination of black people remains in our mind and it always become the interesting to discuss. It leads our mind to remember the racial segregation that differentiates the black people with white people and slavery in America from 1619 to 1865. Blacks from the Caribbean whose ancestors immigrated or who themselves immigrated to United States, also traditionally called African-American bounded by slavery. Most of them lived in South American. In 1865 after the civil war, the President of America Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation and freeing in the southern states at war with the north by the 13th amendment of the United States constitution that outlawed the slavery. It remains the wound when in apartheid had been disappeared, but black people still suffering in living their life in America because white people still abused them and ignored their right.
segregation is Bob Marley. He is the singer from Jamaica that created so many songs that contain the discrimination of black people.
I am interested in analyzing the idea of the struggle of black people in United States through Bob Marley’s songs because it can help us to understand the situation of black people in America. Some Marley’s songs will describe the racial segregation and describe how black people survive in that condition. Besides, it will embroider my horizon of thinking and give me some moral teaching.
1.2 The Statement of the Problem
I have listened to some Marley’s songs and understand the lyric, and found some rebellion spirit against the racial segregation that happened to the Blacks. They are underestimated by the white people, because white people always suppose they have the higher level and higher status than Blacks do. Bob Marley is an eccentric singer. He has strange performance, his clothing, dreadlock, and hairstyle, are looking so different from another singer. Moreover he made some critical songs bravely, his words showed the clear critic to the white people. There must be something wrong in his society itself that reflected in some of his songs. By analyzing these songs, I could know the reason why he created the songs and how the songs were intended to struggle the right of black people. I also could know the situation of African-American society at that time. Besides, I could know the style of language and style of words that he used to criticize the society in that discriminated the black people.
1.3 The Objectives of the Study
1.4 The Scope of the Study
Bob Marley is one of the great singers of his period. Through his simple mind and his brave words he can create many songs that critic the public, against the discrimination, never give up idea, and rebellion. To make the clear limitation or scope of the study, I focused my study on analyzing the songs of Bob Marley which deal with society of black people and their struggle to get the same right with white people. Moreover to make the limitation of the analysis I just use the theory of poetry to analyze the song.
1.5 The Method of The Analysis
To analyze the subject matter of this thesis, I would like to use intrinsic and extrinsic approaches. The intrinsic approach includes point of view, style, image, etc. Then, the extrinsic approach is to know the external factors of literary works such as biography, economy, politic, society, history, psychology, etc.
In this thesis, I will use the historical-biographical approach since we know that this approach is the best way to analyze the subject matter. Literary work is always influenced by the writer’s living and background. It is related with the condition of the society and writer’s environment.
By using the historical-biographical approach I could know more about the writer’s background and I can get the idea easily because the text usually influenced by the situation, place, and time.
I also use the library research as the method of the analysis. The analysis of the data relies on the materials, which are considered to be determining or supporting sources of discussion. All of the data are taken from the private and public library.
1.6 The Significance of the Study
Jabrohim, (Naibaho 2008: 5) states that an analysis is done due to certain significance it has. The significance of analysis can be both theoretical and practical. It means, the result of an analysis could be beneficial for developing knowledge insight, and can be applied for daily living. Based on this statement, this analysis has two major significances. Firstly, I want to learn more about the historical of black American. I believe that it can enrich me with more knowledge and moral lessons. Secondly, this analysis is specifically focuses on Bob Marley’s songs that describe the struggle of black people. People can understand more about the condition of black people in that period that is explained in this analysis.
1.7 The Review of Related Literature
I use several books in supporting this thesis. The first book that gives the big contribution in writing this thesis is Jubilee: The Emergence of Africa-American Culture. This is a book that contains the chronicle of slavery and its enormous effect on American nation’s history and economy, tracing the origin development of the slave trade, and the realities of the life for African slaves, runaways, and freedmen alike – in pre-civil war America. This book also illustrates the condition of the “peculiar institution” transferred in to a vibrant, distinctively, African-American culture, a complex, fascinating process of social cultural, political, and survived deliberately, dehumanizing, oppression, without ever surrendering their individuality.
The third book that I used to complete this analysis is Modern African Poetry and The
African Predicament by R.N. Egudu (1977). This book explains about the poems that have
CHAPTER II
THE METHOD OF THE ANALYSIS
To analyze the subject matter of this thesis, I would like to use intrinsic and extrinsic approaches. The intrinsic approach includes point of view, style, image, etc. Then, the extrinsic approach is to know the external factors of literary works such as biography, economy, politic, society, history, psychology, etc.
In this thesis, I will use the historical-biographical approach since we know that this approach is the best way to analyze the subject matter. Literary work is always influenced by the writer’s living and background. It is related with the condition of the society and writer’s environment.
By using the historical-biographical approach I could know more about the writer’s background and I can get the idea easily because the text usually influenced by the situation, place, and time. In this thesis, I would like to use historical-biographical approach to analyze the song lyric that usually relates with the past era that influenced the content or even the style of writing, because the song lyric in this thesis is intended to reject the social condition in that time. Moreover, the lyric influenced many people to be more critical because the song criticized the social phenomenon and express the dissatisfaction of social living in certain time and place.
Then to make this analysis systematic, I use descriptive approach. In doing the descriptive approach, there are some stages of procedures taken. First, I have to collect Bob Marley’s song that related to the struggle of black people to his withdrawal from his background and his society. Second, all data are interpreted and the last I will further analyze it and draw the conclusion of the analysis.
CHAPTER III
A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BLACK PEOPLE HISTORY
1. Slavery
Black slavery still remains the terrible memory over the world. The condition described was very terrible where there was no sun of hope and happiness in blacks’ life. It becomes the experience of black people before they arise to be the real men that have their own life and they prove that they can be like normal human. Then they get their freedom and right after all.
At first slavery grew slowly. The first Negroes who came to the colonies were brought in
1619 on a Dutch trading ship. They were treated as bound or indentured servants and served
for some years. Plantation owners took them and they quickly became good workers. After
paying their debts, many indentured servants eventually gained their freedom. They could own
land, hire out labor, learned to be skilled workers and moved to another place as they pleased.
Their children, like those of white indentured servants were born free. Unfortunately they were
treated quite differently from white indentured servants in society. Blacks were denied the rights
to bear arms, and they received harsher penalties than whites that had committed the same
offenses. One occasion punishment for Black was lifetime in servitude.
Since Negro workers were proved very valuable and more of them were needed, the
settlers come to think and treated black servants as slaves who would never be set free. Most
white colonists were convinced that perpetual bondage was appropriate status for black
servants. That some blacks were also being sold for life, a condition never applied to white
servants. European also noted other differences. They began to consider blacks as savage and
uncivilized. They started describing Africans as beast and were fascinated by resemblance that
they saw between Negroes and chimpanzees discovered in the Africans exploration. White men
conclusion that darker pigmentation symbolized the innate inferiority of blacks (Dinnersteein,
1990:17).
European political, commercial and business interest organized and managed the
European and American dimension of slave trade. Slave ship were manufactured and fitted out
in the European and American ports. These ships, manned by European and American captains
and crews, transported enslaved African from Africa to Americas. European and American
finance capital paid for the ships, the slave cargo, and the cost of transport. European and
American traders sold the slave cargo in the Americas and employed them as slave labors in
plantation, mining and other economies. Companies of American and European transformed
slave produced agricultural products into manufactured goods to be sold as consumers goods in
Europe or traded in Africa for slaves.
The European presence in Africa during the era of the slave trade was largely limited to
a series of forts, slave castles, and trading posts along the coast. When the translantic slave
trade started during the 16th century, Portuguese traders conducted raids along the West
African coast to secure their first captives. They also entered the alliances to African merchants
and political elites to secure slaves for trade. Through much of the 26th century, this was the
dominant form of enslaved African labor procurement. It was also the only time that Europeans
were significantly involved in the initial capture and enslavement of Africans in Africa.
Beginning in the 17th century and continuing through the abolition of the trade, African
merchant and commercial and political elites controlled the continental salve trade. Over the
course of its 400-year history, some 200 nation states and thousand of leaders organized and
managed the trading activities.
Slavery had existed in Africa since ancient times. Like the civilizations of ancient Egypt,
Greece, Rome, medieval Europe, and China, or the Incas and Aztecs of the Americas, many
European traders arrived on the coast of West Africa. The capture, purchase and sale of slaves
were regular features of many African societies’ commercial and social lives.
Between 1500 and the 1860s millions of Africans were captured, enslaved, and
transported to the Americas. For the vast majority, especially after the 16th century, the
enslavement process began in the interior of Africa western’s coast. Prisoners who were
casualties of wars became the candidate for trade. Some state transformed themselves into slave
trading nations and waged wars or carried out recognized raids on villages to secure their
captives
Over the years, the intercine wars in Africa become more frequent, more deadly, and
more efficient as a means of supplying African captives for the slave trade. The diffusion of
European firearms changed the nature of warfare and raiding and increased the supply of
African captives exponentially.
Following capture and initial sale in the interior, transportation to the coast became at
first of several life threatening migrations for the African captives. This often brutal experience
has been called the “long march.” They were managed to survive on long march were
imprisoned in slaves castles, or holding pens, known as barracoons until they were sold and
shipped to the Americas and Middle Passage.
Slavery has the long story in Blacks’ experience in their history life. During the
eighteenth century the number of slaves increased rapidly. It happened because there were
some justifications to defending the slavery. Various arguments were used; they are biblical,
constitutional and sociological. The biblical justification was based in part of the curse of
Canaan, the son of Ham, who was condemned to eternal servitude because his father had
looked on Noah’s nakedness. The constitutional was pointed out the United States Constitute
that did not forbid the slavery. The constitution mandated the return and the runaway slaves
grown child and must be governed as a child. Therefore, he needed the paternal guidance,
restraint and protection of his white master.
Slavery became the habit in most country in America and Europe. It happened because
slavery had been legalized by the constitutional of those countries. Slaves behaved as the
working animal. Most slaves worked for long hours, from sun up to sunset. Before daybreak,
they worked an average day 14 hours in the summer and 10 hours in the winter. Under task
system each slaves had the specific task to complete daily. If they failed, they will be punished,
whipping or flogging by the overseer. During the harvest season, they were driven especially
hard; in the off-season black had less to do, but plantation repair and maintenance chores kept
them busy. Usually owners allowed their slaves to rest on special occasions, like Christmas and
after the harvest, and some gave Sunday and occasional Saturday as holiday. Pregnant women
received time off just before and after the birth of a children then she will be sent back to the
field.
House slaves, most of them women, had relatively easier assignment than the field
slaves did. They usually worked as housemaids, cooks, seamstresses, laundresses, coachmen,
gardeners, and mammies. They also ate and dressed better than the slaves in the field. However,
there were disadvantages. They were watched more closely, were on call at all hours of the day
and night, and were often involved in personality conflict in the white household. House slaves
were constantly exposed to the whims and passions of every member of the family, from
assignment to a petty job to insult, spontaneous angry and whippings, and sexual assault (Nash,
1994:370).
Although the master had an interest in keeping the slaves’ healthy by providing
adequate care, slaves led sickly lives. Slaves clothing was shabby and uncomfortable. The
slaves’ home was a crude one room log cabin with a dirt floor; some houses were well made,
Some slaves slept on the ground or mattresses of corn shucks, using burlap bags for blankets.
The cabins were crowded, with usually more than one family living in each.
Master tried to provide a healthy diet, but some relied on corn meal, salt pork, hominy
and fatback. The food was deficient in calories and vitamins. Most slaves however, rarely
enjoyed fresh meat, dairy products, fruit or vegetables. To make up for these deficiencies they
sometimes stole from their masters’ kitchen, gardens, and barnyards. In adequate diet,
moreover let the slaves came down with vitamin deficiency disease such as rickets, pellagra,
beriberi, scurvy and even mental illness. Slaves everywhere suffered and died from intestinal
ailments in the summer and respiratory.
Government of some countries expanded their ‘slave code’ throughout the remainder of
the colonial period by placing a tight system of control over black slaves. The codes had simple
basic trust- the total submission of all slaves to their master, and by extension to all whites. The
codes specified restriction on slaves’ activities. Slaves could not leave the plantation, travel, in
groups, or hold meetings. They had no legal standing in court; no court accepted their
testimony. Laws directed slaves to step aside when white passed. Other state forbade to
teaching of writing or reading to slaves, even by their masters. The law did not recognize the
slaves’ marriage.
However, the greatest fear of slaves was not beat but the separation of families. The
slave was property or chattel so they could be freely bought or sold. They made the status of the
child follow the mother-a decision prompted by the fact that interracial sexual unions were
between white males and black females. Most settlers did try to keep children and their mother
together, but once the children become young adults, about thirteen, they were often sold
separately and without regard for their parents and kin. Frequently husbands and wives lived in
different plantation, and if the planter migrated and took his male slave along, the slave’s wife
Opposition to slavery was not often accompanied by a commitment to racial equality.
Whites believed in black inferiority and depravity and feared black competition for job and
resources. Black increasingly endures separate and inferior facilities in railway cars,
steamboats, hospitals, prisons, and other asylums. In some states, they could enter public
buildings only as personal servants of white men. They sat in “Negro Pews” in churches and
took communion only after whites had left the church. Most churches were not disposed to
welcome black as full members.
2.
Revolution
and most consistent abolitionist were those enslaved Africans who said slavery was wrong. Fueled by ideological current of the French and American Revolutions, opponents of slavery in Pensylvania, New York, Massachutes, and Virginia established manumission societies urging the freedom of the slaves by will or deed.
Beggining in the 1830, opponents of slavery int he United States began to call for its complete and immidiate abolition. Prior to the Civil War, upward of 200.000 Americans join various anti slavery and abolition societies and waged vigoroud ideological and political campaigns against it. Black abolitionists, many of then fugitives played leading roles in building the case against slavery. They wrote the slogans and make it as the symbol of slavery, for instance the sentence “am I not a man and a brother?”. The idea that they wanted to tell to the societies was the equality, they wanted to tell that black people have the same right with anyone in this world and they are brothers. They lived America so they are brothers with white people. That sentence was written in many places and things such as plate, glass, and even it was written in the coin as the anti salvery campaigns.
CHAPTER IV
THE ANALYSIS OF BLACK’S STRUGGLE IN BOB MARLEY’S SELECTED SONGS
Slavery remains the terrible memory in many people’s mind. During the decades that proceeded the reform era, slavery inspired many notable literary or legal defenses. Slavery also became the images that inspired several poets and artists to make the great literary work. During the revolution era there were so many things done against the slavery. Many people protested slavery by various ways, include by songs.
There are so many singers create their songs based on slavery experience. Their songs mostly reflected the situation of slavery such as enslaved people, and some right exploitation. The songs also talked about black’s beauty, ability of art, politic, and made sure them that they have the same right with white people. Songs were also intended to make the protest to the white and claim about human equality and humanity.
Bob Marley, who was born as a child of black and white parents was the most outstanding contributor to the black revolution. His song can influence the world. He is not a prophet but he can force world to open their eyes to see the truth that black is abolished. He forced everyone to realize that there were something wrong and it must be fixed through his songs. He wants black realize what they have and proud of it.
Marley’s songs mostly simple and uncomplicated, but they can touch the heart. By this simplicity he criticized the white and led black to struggle their right. He led black to realize their real power. His songs also shake the government in his country.
Most Marley’s songs just recall black about the slavery and it is intended to raise the real spirit of black to struggle their right and against the whites. His songs also criticize the majority of white in all fields. Marley want black get the real freedom, not only on the paper.
Bob Marley created many songs about black’s experience, how they were brutalized by white. All of that bad experience is intended to raise the black’s confident to realize their culture identity and their power. When there were so many protested from not only black people but also from white people that care of social relationship and humanity, the situation changed. So, that was a good time to free the black to the real freedom that always they dreamed. In the song Slave Driver, Marley recalled the past of black people through slavery images.
Every time I hear the crack of whip, My blood runs cold
I remember on the slave ship How they brutalized our very souls
This lyric is very simple, but it gives enough attack to our mind about the slavery. Marley has described enough fear in slaves’ mind when they heard the crack of whip. It shows the traumatic mind that remains the pain that haunted black people. Slave ship is a kind of transportation that used to bring African to Europe and Americas. Most ships after 17th century had two decks, one of which was dedicated to carrying slave cargo. Men were chained together in pair, laid a flat or spoon-fashion and shackled between decks with little space to stretch out or move around. Women and children were kept on the opposite side of wall, frequently unshackled, but like men they had little space to move around.
On board slave ship, the African captives worked to clean the deck from soil. They worked under the oppression. The slave driver used the whip to punish them if they do the mistaken work. Slave drivers often wounded the slaves by their whips.
Bob Marley here remained black people about their history, how white treated them as not more than working animal. In the next lyric he added some protests.
Today they say that we are free Only to be chained in poverty Good God, I think its illiteracy It is only a machine that makes money
Once again, Marley criticized white people through his song. He said that although the government had declared black people’s freedom but there were still discrimination and racism haunted black people. There was no real freedom as what they dreamed. They are free but they were still worked and never get the adequate education. They also were trapped in poverty that seemed never end. White people just made the black people as the second class that must obey their order. They made the black people as their workers and became the machine to make money.
Slave driver the table is turned Catch a fire so you can get burned Slave driver the table is turned
Catch the fire you’re gonna get burned
Marley made the nice stanzas to criticize the whites. The rhyme scheme was arranged as AA-AA. He beautified his stanzas with some idioms like catch the fire and you’re gonna get burnt; the table is turned, and machine to make money.
2.
Buffalo Soldier
Buffalo soldier is the songs that remain the history of black. This song also strengthens the blacks’ confident living in America because they also had the role in coloring America’s history. Marley tells how the black drew the history of America as Buffalo soldier who won the war for America. There was the obligation of slaves to be the soldier against the Indian in South America. The colonist expanded the territorial by pushing Indians out. Based on the history buffalo soldier was the black soldier who engaged to in battles with Indian that were black people.
In the 18th century, the Florida community of fugitive slave and native Americans well known as “Seminoles” after the Creek word for “runaway”. In the 1830 the US military declared war on the Seminole but abandoned the effort offer more than 1500 US soldiers were killed. Ironically, a few decades later the US government enlisted the Seminole to battle the plains Indians know as Seminole Negro Indian Scouts, and then become one of the most decorated of the western Indian war era. However, many of the Seminole soldiers were denied US army pensions.
I will analyze the song entitled Buffalo soldier by Bob Marley, then we will see how that song reflects the history of black soldier who came to war for America. In the first stanza Marley introduces who the buffalo soldier was.
Buffalo soldier, Dreadlock Rasta There was a buffalo soldier In the heart of America
Stolen from Africa, brought to America Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival
Marley states that a buffalo soldier was the dreadlock Rasta that taken from Africa and brought to America. A soldier in slavery era was the blacks that must had the war against the Indian. They were the soldier that also engaged to build many things in America such as ports, railway, etc. That is why Marley said that Buffalo Soldier is in the heart of America, although they were only slaves. They were driven to America to fight against the native America as the US government’s order. Blacks has the important role in America development and they should proud of that.
I mean it, if you analyze the stench To me it makes a lot of sense
How the dreadlock Rasta was the buffalo soldier And he was taken from Africa, brought to America Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival
Here, Marley wants that black people realize how that they really included to America’s life and they need to know that the black people, the dreadlock Rasta also struggle for America. So, white also need to remember that black have the important role to their country and black also the part of their life. In another stanza Marley said:
If you know your history
Then you would know where you coming from Then you wouldn’t have to ask me
Who the heck do I think I am?
life as American. They are black and how they struggle against the white who discriminated all their right, and supposed that they are stronger than black and just think that America did not belong to blacks. Being black is not the worst thing because black also contributed so many things for America. So, every black need to know their history and realize that they are not weak and open their mind they are not nothing so that they have to get the same right with white.
...
Buffalo soldier, trodding through the land Said he wanna ran, and you wanna hand Trodding through the land, yea, yea.
Said he was a buffalo soldier Win the war for America
Buffalo soldier, Dreadlock Rasta Fighting on arrival, figthing for survival Driven from the mainland
To the heart of caribbean
Buffalo soldier is in the heart of America. This statement clearly enough explain who the black people and their contribution to America.
Bob Marley speaks here about race and the behavior of white Americans in their forcing African Americans, then called buffalo soldiers, to unwillingly fight for the United States. His song "Buffalo Soldier" goes hand in hand with this notion and discusses the hardships faced by African Americans during the Civil War, as fourteen black soldiers were taken to fight for the Union. Bob Marley suggests that until all human beings are treated as equals, there will be war. However, this idea poses a question every time I look at the image of the poster.
For more than 25 years the Buffalo Soldier not only engaged in battles with Indians, but they built forts and escorted wagon trains, mail stages, and railroad crews. They mapped and charted areas and located sources of water. Black soldiers were responsible for opening millions square miles of western lands to peaceful settlement and development (Dodson, 2003:...)
caught by the government because US still need them to expand their colonial area. The statement ‘trodding to the land’ is the symbolized that the buffalo soldier did the long travel to the war area to fight against the Native American in the South of America.
3.
Redemption song
Perhaps the most powerful song in the history of Bob Marley is that of redemption entitled “Redemption Song”. It deals with the inner strength to overcome and live free: Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds. Have fear for atomic energy cause none of them can stop the time. How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look “Won’t you help sing these songs of freedom Cause all I ever had, redemption songs. These songs of freedom, songs of freedom.” (Marley, “Legend”) In this block of lyrics, Marley encourages individuals to look within themselves for the freedom that will set everyone free.
Old pirates, yes, they rob i Sold i to the merchat ships Minutes after they took i From the bottomless pit But my hand was made stong By the hand of the Almighty
We forward in this generation, triumphantly
He is insisting that we stop allowing people to kill one another because of slight differences. Marley reaches out, through his lyrics, to help people realize the harsh reality of prejudice in the world. When our differences are accepted and overcome, he praises that we can all sing songs of freedom. Marley speaks about freedom in his lyrics as they pertain to us individuals as well as us as a complete entirety. Marley’s goal was to better the whole human race by uniting them through his music. In this he was successful because his music empowers individuals, inspires them, and in his eyes makes them free.
So as I look at the portrait of Bob Marley, made up of small pictures that represent the details of an influential and inspiring lifetime, I question myself: am I free? This poster acts as a leading influence on the direction of my own life as I search for freedom within myself by accepting people for what they are. I then ask, am I living for life, or am I living for death? I see a reflection of my wrongdoings as I look into the eyes of the man on the poster. I often feel that I am not living life to its fullest. It is in Marley’s lyrics that I realize the brutality and insecurity of the human race.
It is in the poster of Bob Marley that I realize the struggles in his life that he relentlessly overcame to inspire others on the idea of universal freedom. He sings beliefs of the Rastafarian culture, but preaches them to each individual. These lyrics are universal and the portrait is much the same as it is made up of intricate details of the life of Robert Nesta Marley. This song shows that Marley help the black people’s freedom by song because that’s all he had, he can’t set war or something like that.
Won’t you help to sing This songs of freedom Cause all I ever have Redemption songs
4.
Small Axe
help. Small axe is just a little thing that if it is looked based on the size so it is not a very meaningful thing but it can cut the big tree slowly. It is the analogy that “small” people can do something against “big” people, they have power if they want to use it well. He also wants to say that a great people are not good forever. Great people sometimes are like evil man, they do everything to make them respected by many people. They also act as they are better than ordinary people so they fool some people and cover it with thousand lie to make them prosper. They always boasted themselves after getting the author, while people don’t realize their villainies. It is written in the first stanza. Besides, Marley also said that those people only work as a liar, to fool other people to get respect from wealth people and don’t see weak person’s struggle. They only think about their prosperity, but actually the real prosperity cannot be achieved by that way, so that Marley said the goodness of God endured forever. It means that it will not exist forever because actually God knows everything and He has the justice to aware the people.
Why boasteth thyself, oh evil men,
Playing smart and not being clever?
I say you're working iniquity to achieve vanity, yeah,
But the goodness of JAH JAH endureth forever.
Then Marley makes the analogy that the great people is the big tree. They have the authorization; they have prosperity and power to make people do what they wanted. They think that they are untouchable, but here Marley said that people are the small axe, that even though they are small and they are looked like have no power to protect them actually they have the power to make great people fall. Ordinary people are the small axe that has been sharpened to cut them down.
If you are the big tree,
Sharpened to cut you down,
Ready to cut you down.
In another stanza Marley said that we have to have the strong heart to make a decision and to protect ourselves from bad influence. We should have principle to live our life on the right way. We should keep the goodness in our heart in living our life because if we have the weak heart we can’t be a great person and we can’t get the prosperity.
These are the words of my master.
Keep on telling me
No weak heart shall prosper,
Oh, no they can't.
“These are the words of my master”, still describe the remains of slavery that keep on telling him. In this stanza also said that people with weak heart can’t survive and they won’t get prosperity. Moreover, this song tells us that everyone have to responsible to what they did. If they have fault they have to responsible to fix it. So that Marley said that whoever dig a pit they shall fall in it. It means people that always lie will be trapped by their own deceit. They may be safe for some times but it will not be longer, one day they will get the consequence of their fault because everything in this world bears a consequence.
And whosoever diggeth a pit, Lord,
Shall fall in it, shall fall in it.
Whosoever diggeth a pit shall bury in it,
5.
Get Up, Stand Up
This song has a basis in the Rastafarian belief to stand up for what you think is right: to speak your voice in situations of both adversity and conflict. His song makes the claim. “Life is your right, we can’t give up the fight” (Marley, "Legend"). This reinforces the idea that we make up our own life and its contents are our own doings. When faced with difficult and trying moments, we must remember that it is our right to decide what should be done.
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight
Preacher dont tell me, heaven is under the earth I know you dont know, what life is really worth Is not all that glitters in gold
Half story has never been told
We are given the power through the Creator to make our life anything we choose. This is only a simple part of the universal freedom Marley tries to emphasize in his music. As a preacher of Rastafarian culture, Marley uses his lyrics to lead people in believing that living for dying, in fact, is not living at all. He insists in this particular instance that we stop playing the game where we die and go to heaven in Jesus’ name as he writes in his lyrics. We must believe in life and live in Jesus' name, rather than die in the name of our Savior. By using the term Jesus in his lyrics, Marley reaches out to all cultures and religions. To the Rastafarians the Creator is named Jah. Marley uses the common name of Jesus to reach every single individual. His lyrics, because they are so universal, have the ability to change the way people think and feel. People everywhere can relate to the songs of this artist and realize both the happiness and suffering in life.
Marley speaks not only about the treatment of African Americans, but speaks about the entire population coming together as one to achieve a universal freedom through our sole belief in a Creator.
This thought of oneness with the Lord will unite all who choose to listen and believe. We all must unite in him, and will be free. The Rastafarian culture bestows hope to every individual who listens to Bob Marley’s lyrics, as he sings for the making of Heaven on Earth. As a social activist, his lyrics leave an indelible mark on our past, present, and future struggles to embrace a harmonious existence within the brotherhood of man on this earth. Marley tried to open our eyes that heaven is not only in the sky, means that heaven can be created by people themselves by enjoying their life and never give up. Marley, through this song wants to say that give honour to life that has been given by God and live and take care of it also never give up altough there might be so many storms that ruined it. So that Marley said ‘get up, stand up’ many times.
“Life is your right.” It is the statement of this song that makes a stronger meaning of right of life. Therefore, everyone have to struggle for their life and never give up getting the better life.
Life is your right, so we can’t give up the fight Stand up for your right, Lord, Get up Stand up. Keep on struggling on, don’t give up the fight
Then, this song tells us about the different view of religion that some black people
believe in it. They believe in Jah, the God after Jesus The Rastafari movement is a
Emperor o
Rastafarians, or Rastas. The movement is sometimes referred to as "Rastafarianism",
but this term is considered derogatory and offensive by some Rastas, who dislike being
labelled as an "ism".
Lord We know when we understand Almighty God is a living man
You can fool some people sometimes
But you can't fool all the people all the time
So now we see the light We gonna stand up for our right
It is written in the stanza above that rastas have the different view of God as what I explain before. This stanza also explain their dislike to western because they have the different doctrine from Christian that worshiping Jesus as their God so rastas said that white people and western doctrine is wrong and fool other people. So that Marley said “you can fool some people sometimes” and he said “so now we see the light, we gonna stand up for our right”, it means that this song is also intended to make their religion accepted by many people especially black people who are Christians.
6.
Blackman Redemption
Blackman redemption is one of Marley’s songs that talk about black people. Here Marley tells characteristics of black people, he puts some word to describe it such as dreadlock, King David, Salomon and Salomon. This song related to the effort of Republic Congo freedom. Bob Marley is a singer who struggle for black people’s freedom, in this case he do some campaign to help their freedom through his song. He held the concert to free some countries such as Zimbabwe, Republic Congo, etc.
Whoa-A Natty Congo
A Dreadlock Congo
Whoa-A Natty Congo
Blackman Redemption
way so they need not to make some riots and great attack against white. They are suggested to make peace and patient to set them free. They should show the word that war is not everything and they have to prove that they can get their freedom without war, but peace. That is why Marley says no need to get jumpy and no need to get bumpy many times.
Woe-yo yee, ye, a Blackman Redemption woe, yoe
No need, no need to get jumpy
No need, and a no need to get bumpy
And a no need, and a no need to get bumpy
No need, need, need to get jumpy
Then, in the next stanza Marley says cool runnings. Those words mean that black people have not to make the war or riot, just keep it cool, slow but sure they will get that freedom. Then Marley says ‘I beg ya’ that means he don’t want to see the war again and he thinks that it is not the good way to get the purpose because if they force their purpose by the violent way, they will never get their freedom. Marley says that black people supposed to be patient and just spread the peace to the world. Cool running also means that silently, they do the revolution silently, not by war but diplomacy.
Youth and youth agree to, cool runnings
Can you dig it, cool runnings yeah, one more time
A beg ya, cool running, can you stop it
Cool running, spread out, spread out, spread out
Spread out, look out
Can you dig it, oh yeah
A Blackman Redemption, can you stop it
Oh! no, Oh! no, Oh! no
This stanza also shows that no one can stop it. No one can stop their movement in getting their freedom because they have the right to be free and they will show that they are same with other person even with the white people.
Then in the next stanza Marley tries to introduce us who the black people are. He mentions the words King David and Salomon; those words come from their holy book named The Book of Revelation. It explains much about black people especially their belief. It tells the God that worshipped by some black people or Rastas. It also tells who God is.
According to tradition, Haile Selassie was the 225th in an unbroken line of Ethiopian
monarchs of the
century BC b
the Queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants." On the basis of the Ethiopian national epic, the conceived his child, and from this, conclude that African people are among the true children of
Israel, or Jews.
the rest of Judaism; their existence has given some impetus to Rastafari, as they feel it validates their assertion that Ethiopia is Zion.
and accept their fate to be the minority, but Marley realize that black people are still having the culture that can be showed. They have the unique identity; even they have power against the black people if they want because it is the basic right that men have to be free. In this song Marley says spread out many times. It indicates that Marley wants black people spread out throughout the world and live their live without any disturbance by another people because basically, they only enjoy their right.
Coming from the root of King David
Through the line of Solomon
His Imperial Majesty is the Power of Authorithy
Spread out, spread out, spread out, spread out
Spread out, spread out
No need, no need, no need to get jumpy
And a no need, and a no need to walk away
7.
Rasta man Live Up
Rasta man Live Up is one of Bob Marley’s song that show the identity of black people. In this song Marley tries to remain the black people all about what they have. Rastaman Live Up tells much about the culture of black people especially Rastaman.
Rastaman live up, Bongoman don't give up
Congoman live up, Bingyman don't give up
Keep your culture, don't be afraid
Of the vulture, grow your dreadlock
In the first stanza Marley tries to make black people be confident. They have to be proud of their own culture so that Marley said keep your culture. As we know black’s culture is unique but because of they are the minority so they afraid to show their culture. They prefer using western culture, such as language, belief, way life, etc. So that Marley still wants black return to their origin culture. The sentence grow your dreadlock is also the way Marley remain black people to respect black’s culture and develop it by the time. Marley tries to return the black’s identity by this song.
David slew Goliath with a sling and a stone
Samson slew the Philistines with a donkey jawbone
Iyaman live up, Rastaman don't give up
Bingyman live up, Congoman don't give up
In the stanza above Marley tries to ensure the black people that they need not to be afraid to use their culture because it is their identity. No matter if they are only the minority, they have to continue their movement without any fear. They needn’t to be afraid of white people that always humiliate them, because they will not be like that forever. There will be the time when they are fallen and from the sentence “David slew goliath with a sling and a stone”, it can be said that Marley wants black people believe that they can change the world start with the small things. David is the young man, against Goliath, a very strong man, but only with sling and stone David defeated Goliath. It is the analogy that weak person is not that weak forever; they can do anything against strong people with what they have. They don’t need help from other people.
Trodding thru creation, in a irie meditation
Seen many visions, in a this yah armageddon
Rastaman live up, Natty Dread no give up
Then, in the stanza above it can be seen that Marley include the religion term that is irie meditation. Moreover black people are remained that they have to live with their old tradition and they are supposed not to stop their creation by their belief way. This song tells us much about Rastafari movement. Rastafari movement is the way black people viewed God, they worship God by smoking cannabis.
Rastafari are
Jah as being in the form of the
and the
the human, and for this reason they often refer to themselves as "I and I". Furthermore, "I and I" is used instead of "We", and is used in this way to emphasize the equality between all people, in the recognition that the Holy Spirit within us all makes us essentially one and the same.
Some Rastas accept the Christian doctrine that God incarnated onto the Earth in the
form o
were corrupted by
is power", also object specifically to the English pronunciation of his name (/dʒi:zəs/) as impure, preferring instead to use the forms i
Rastafari is not a highly organized Rastas say that it is not a "religion" at all, but a "Way of Life".Most Rastas do not claim any sect or denomination, and thus encourage one another to find faith and inspiration within themselves, although some do identify strongly with one of the three most prominent of these being the Nyahbinghi, the Bobo Ashanti and the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The name Rastafari is taken from Ras Tafari, the
composed of
of the Christia
The Rastafari movement encompasses themes such as the spiritual use of
the rejection of western society (called
teachings of Jamaican publicist, organizer, a
often regarded as a prophet).
Today, awareness of the Rastafari movement has spread throughout much of the
world, largely through interest generated by
Jamaican singer/songwriter
Rastafari faithful worldwide. About five to ten percent of Jamaicans identify themselves
as Rastafari.
When RasTafari Makonnen (a black African) was crowned as the king of Ethiopia in 1930 titled HIM Haile Selassie 1, Garvey’s followers considered RasTafari as a savior of black people from Babylon’s suppression. Garvey’s ideology then involved to be a new religion named “rastafari” and Haile Selassie became a person who deified by Rastafarians. After Bob Marley joined to ‘rastafari’ in 1967, together with his band he sounds rastafari values through reggae. Later people considered that this year was the birth of reggae.
There are many interesting aspects can be seen from Bob Marley and the Wailer’s song
lyrics. There are also many assumption about Bob Marley and The Wailer’s lyrics that
arrived from people and fans, such as Anthony Bogues in “Black Heretics, Black
Marley and The Wailer’s song lyrics are representative of Rastafarian musical tradition
of social critique. He also notes that Marley functions as more than a musician: he is
social prophet. In that role, he articulates the complex symbol world of Jamaican culture
and biblical language to provide pointed analysis on socio-political realities. Bogues
says that in the lyrical world of Bob Marley, Babylon stands for a systemic reality that
alienates the descendant of Africa from their real selves and homeland. Having
expressed the drudgery of life under the colonial system as “trodding on the wine press
much too long”.
In the stanza above it is said that they make creation through irie meditation. It
is said because they smoke cannabis, that is called irie meditation. It is a part of
worshipping God, so they can make the imagination by the cannabis. Then they start to
make their creation. They make cannabis as their ritual of worshipping God, moreover
they do not eat meat because it is also the ritual of rastafari movement. Moreover, they
reject the western culture. They are forbidden to consume alcohol and drugs but they
allow cannabis to be consumed. Dreadlock is also their way to worship God, that’s why
Marley said grow your dreadlocks many times.
Saw it in the beginning
So shall it be in this iwa (time)
And they fallen in confusion
Well a just a step from Babel Tower
Rastaman live up, Congoman no give up (repeat)
Grow your dreadlocks
Don't be afraid of the wolf pack
And a billion man a sparking
Again in the stanza above we see that Marley tries to rise black’s spirit by saying Bongoman don’t give up or Bingyman no give up. Bongoman is one community of black singers so are Bingyman. Marley wants to make them maintain their culture and also suggested them to be united by the sentence “one man a walking, and a billion man a sparking”. It means if the movement done together in unity, it will shake the world. Then, he said that the change needn’t done by many people, it is only few people then others will follow them.
8. Africa Unite
Africa unite is the song that suggested black people to be united. Blacks that have lived in western country have almost lost their identity and began to follow the westernization while there were many countries which were still bounded under the colonization of western people. Through this song Marley want his people to be one. They can free themselves if they want to be one and support each other.
Marley is a part of a long line of African thinkers who have not only advocated the freedom of Africa from imperialism but also the imperatives of African Unity, symbolically articulated in his song “Africa Unite”. The song is important not only as an indication of the philosophy of Marley but highlights an intense connection with the politics on the ground.
Africa, Unite
'Cause we're moving right out of Babylon
And we're going to our father's land
to free them from western colonization. They want to go back to Africa, their father’s land. It means that they want to back to their basic as African. They live with their own culture, they move with their own way without the influence of western.
How good and how pleasant it would be
Before God and man, yeah
To see the unification of all Africans, yeah
As it's been said already let it be done, yeah
We are the children of the Rastaman
We are the children of the Higher Man
Rastaman is the higher man so that they have to be proud of it. They have their own culture that can be used in their life. The birth of reggae music was having a close relationship with the identity awareness movement of black people in early twentieth century pioneered by Marcus Garvey (a black pundit and activist in Jamaica) who emerged the philosophy of “back to Africa” and who advocated the repatriation movement (the black people emigration back to Africa). This song have relationship with this movement too because in this song there are the words “grooving to our father’s land, and children wanna come home”.
Africa, Unite 'cause the children wanna come home
Africa, Unite 'cause we're moving right out of Babylon
And we're grooving to our father's land
Then, this song also tells us about how black people miss the unity to make the great movement against western. They need to be united because it will be better and there will be more benefit if they are together.
Unite for the benefit of your people
Unite for it's later than you think
Moreover, this song also tells that Africa needs some people that can make the real change to black people’s life. Africa needs people that want to develop their culture in original way without influence of western culture. In other word, Africa is waiting them to fix their own life with their own way. Then, it is said that Africa is the real place of their forefather so that they have to come back to Africa. They have the real life in Africa because in the western countries they do not live their life because of the discrimination of right, so that they need to go to their homeland to get better life.
Unite for the benefit of your people
Unite for it's later than you think
Africa awaits its creators, Africa awaiting its creators <
