Page 15 - Pieces Of Jamaica

REFLECTIONS ON J AMAICA
M y mother was born in the parish of St. Ann, my father comes from St. Elizabeth. But my

mother was the dominating force of the family.

She decided to bring her children to Jamaica. I was born in the United States in Harlem,
New York, and she decided that the wilds of New York were not the zones she wanted her
children in. She wanted to have us in the wilds of Jamaica. So, [when I was 1 year old] she
took us back to this island and I grew up in Aboukir [St. Ann] for the first few years, and then I came down
to Kingston, and spent the rest of my time living in Kingston.

I always thought that the destiny of Jamaica was inextricably bound to the destiny of Black-Americans,
and vice versa. And that fact alone, kept me very connected.

Jamaica’s independence was extremely important to me. In New York City, my mother was a very
strong Garveyite. She loved Marcus Garvey, [and she] went to rallies at which Marcus Garvey spoke. When I
came to Jamaica in that youthful period of my life, Bustamante was very busy giving the British a difficult
time in the rule of the island. So I was always around an environment that rebelled against its oppression,
and that alone gave me linkage.
Now, when you talk about the culture and the music and the art — that was so indelible to my
experience, and it became so central to my own cultural expression, that there was just no question that I
was a Jamaican man, and would wind up being that for the rest of my life.
In the history of the record business, the first LP to ever sell one million records within a year was the
album entitled “Calypso.” The phenomenon was so enormous that RCA, the company that I recorded for,
gave me what was considered to be the first gold record in the history of the business, and really set the
stage for what ultimately became the Grammys. Every time I look at these awards, I can say, “Well, that
record that reflected the culture of that remarkable place called Jamaica was the forerunner of all of this.”
And I take great pride in that.

I don’t think that life will ever be as full in its meaning to me if I have a life that is without a song.
Music is very, very central to my existence, to my passion, to my joy. I also find it is an instrument of great
communication. When you see 50,000 people in Germany saying “Day-O,” and you look at 25,000
Japanese singing “Day-O,” it tells you something about the power of the song. Especially the songs that
come out of Aboukir.

Harry Belafonte

Shared by permission of Harry Belafonte and Sankofa.
Interview conducted by Lukkee Chong.

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