 |
“Reggae
… as long as there is poverty… as long as there will
be social problems and ghettos… injustice … reggae
shall be…” In Australia on his first tour
for Womadelaide, Alpha Blondy took some time out for a quick interview
with Cristina Dio.
CD: What was the first reggae number you ever heard and how
did it affect you?
AB: Hmmm the first reggae number… it was Jimmy Cliff and
Bob Marley “Fill the Spirit” from the album Catch
A Fire and many more like Burning Spear “Slavery Days”…
do you remember the days of slavery….It was Marley in 1973,
Jimmy Cliff maybe … it was in 1968 or 69.
Well you know reggae is called roots rock reggae but I was very
much in love with the spiritual and social dimension of that music.
As a kid in the ghetto, I felt much concern with this type of
music that was talking about ghetto life. I identified myself
with the reggae players and the music and the fact that reggae
artists were glorifying Africa touched me. I felt very impressed
by the pride that the reggae artists put in the African continent.
CD: Did you perform African music before you became a reggae
artist?
AB: Let me tell you something very surprising. It was more rock
n’ roll I was interested in. We had a rock band called the
Atomic Vibration. We grew up listening to African music and we
were the generation that wanted to do something that come from
overseas … rock, r’n’b… Wilson Pickett,
Sam and Dave, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and may other groups like
the David Spencer Group, The Bee Gees… we used to listen
to those kind of music and we wanted to be the generation to do
that kind of music. We didn’t feel the need to play traditional
African music. It was a real music revolution.
CD: You’ve been hailed as the heir to Bob Marley…
how do you see reggae music as a way of uniting Africans in their
protest against oppression?
AB: Well as an African and as a disciple of Bob Marley, it’s
nice to hear people say about me in comparison with Bob, but in
reality Bob is Bob and Alpha is Alpha and Alpha remain a disciple
of Bob who is a teacher and now talking about the message in the
music, reggae become an international language for Africans who
speak French, who speak English or Swahili… can communicate
throughout reggae music… you know, you don’t need
to speak English or French or whatever.
Reggae is a music that breaks the barrier, the frontiers, the
political frontiers and the rebellion that someone will sing in
French or English it is the same thing … the same words.
CD: What are your views on Jamaican ragamuffin music?
AB: You see it is hard tor me to judge ragga or to judge hip-hop
because it’s music you know, and I think that every type
of music brings something new to the feast and anything that can
make people happy … some people love ragga, some people
love hip hop… as long as that music can make people happy
I agree with it. No matter how it criticises it’s more positive
in things that we see in this troubled world within this turmoil
that this world is going through so its hard for me to judge it.
CD: You recorded with the Wailers in Jamaica in 1984…
have you performed live in Jamaica since then? How did the Jamaicans
receive your music?
AB: I went to Jamaica but I never had the opportunity to play
in Jamaica because I was never invited and the only time was to
come without my band and I said no. But I went more than six times
to do some recording. I hope that one day some promoters will
invite me there. I’ve played with Jamaican artists in many
concerts around the world… in Europe, in France, Africa
so I am waiting for a good promoter to invite me to the Sunsplash…
CD: Do you feel there is a solidarity/common consciousness
between artists of the African diaspora?
AB: Yep… because they all come from poor conditions and
they all know how tough it is to have success in playing music.
Nothing is easy … the only thing easy is love and we’re
lucky to have that.
CD: Could you tell us a little bit about the band coming to
Australia?
AB: Big band… big music! I reduce the band … I didn’t
bring the whole tribe. I came with the small version – well,
when we play back home those who carry the equipment, those who
do the pluggin’, the drivers…it makes a whole village!
CD: How do you see reggae moving forward?
AB: Reggae … as long as there is poverty… as long
as there will be social problems and ghettos… injustice
… reggae shall be.
