Music Transcends Borders
How has this helped you reconnect?
The fact that I was born in the U.S., unlike my friend who was born in Ethiopia never truly crossed my mind until that conversation. The bold yet valid statement made me realize despite having a Jamaican mom, I knew nothing about Jamaica.So to further disassociate myself from this American identity, as a 4th grader, I felt it was time to properly learn about my Jamaican heritage via Jamaican music. As I looked for reputable material to educate myself, I stumbled upon an EXODUS Bob Marley CD in my mom’s cabinet. I actively listened to the whole album in one sitting, instantly fell in love, and immediately downloaded the album on my iPod. I listened to the album almost every day for a couple of months, committing most of the album to memory. Now and then showing my mom how many lyrics I could sing in Patois or bass lines I could impeccably play on my invisible air bass guitar. Dreaming of someday impressing a Jamaican to receive my metaphorical “Jamerican” card lined with black, green, and gold trimming. Now at 20, I think my “Jamerican” card might have gotten lost in the mail so I don’t have any physical proof to show that I’ve earned it but I’m okay with that. On the bright side, I can now sing along to 70% of reggae songs at Jamaican family gatherings and the invisible guitar transformed into a black & white Fender P-Style bass guitar. Plus now I can relearn the same reggae bass lines that I fell in love with when I was 10 with proper technique on a real guitar. And I just know little me would freak out about the Jamaican Patois I learned from the songs alone. With all this, I thank my childhood best friend. Without her strong words, I probably would have never learned a portion of Bob Marley’s discography by heart or would have thought to truly learn bass. Hopefully, I am still an exception in her eyes and hopefully, my Jamerican card will come when I least expect it <3
LINK TO MEDIA
Submitted by: Kayley Chery
The fact that I was born in the U.S., unlike my friend who was born in Ethiopia never truly crossed my mind until that conversation. The bold yet valid statement made me realize despite having a Jamaican mom, I knew nothing about Jamaica.So to further disassociate myself from this American identity, as a 4th grader, I felt it was time to properly learn about my Jamaican heritage via Jamaican music. As I looked for reputable material to educate myself, I stumbled upon an EXODUS Bob Marley CD in my mom’s cabinet. I actively listened to the whole album in one sitting, instantly fell in love, and immediately downloaded the album on my iPod. I listened to the album almost every day for a couple of months, committing most of the album to memory. Now and then showing my mom how many lyrics I could sing in Patois or bass lines I could impeccably play on my invisible air bass guitar. Dreaming of someday impressing a Jamaican to receive my metaphorical “Jamerican” card lined with black, green, and gold trimming. Now at 20, I think my “Jamerican” card might have gotten lost in the mail so I don’t have any physical proof to show that I’ve earned it but I’m okay with that. On the bright side, I can now sing along to 70% of reggae songs at Jamaican family gatherings and the invisible guitar transformed into a black & white Fender P-Style bass guitar. Plus now I can relearn the same reggae bass lines that I fell in love with when I was 10 with proper technique on a real guitar. And I just know little me would freak out about the Jamaican Patois I learned from the songs alone. With all this, I thank my childhood best friend. Without her strong words, I probably would have never learned a portion of Bob Marley’s discography by heart or would have thought to truly learn bass. Hopefully, I am still an exception in her eyes and hopefully, my Jamerican card will come when I least expect it <3
LINK TO MEDIA
Submitted by: Kayley Chery