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February 05, 2008
Bob Marley works takes centrestage today at Reggae Studies Unit
By: Joseph Cunningham
The work of the great Robert Nesta Marley will take center stage at Jamaica's premier tertiary institution, the University of the West Indies, Mona, today.
The theme being explored at the annual Bob Marley lecture set for today is The Full Has Never Been Told: Exploring Dancehall's Moral Conscience and will be hosted by the Reggae Studies Unit at the Undercroft of the Senate Building under the direction Dr. Donna Hope.
Donna Hope is a lecturer in Reggae Studies at the Institute of Caribbean Studies, UWI, Mona. She has a PhD in Cultural Studies from George Mason University, supported by a Fulbright scholarship. Dr. Hope holds a Masters of Philosophy in Government and a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of the West Indies, Mona.
She has conducted work on Jamaican dancehall culture in local, regional and international settings in the print and electronic media. Her book, Inna di Dancehall: Popular Culture and the Politics of Identity in Jamaica, was published by the UWI Press in 2006. Other publications by Dr. Hope include articles on gender and sexuality in Jamaican popular culture. Dr. Hope's research interests encompass Jamaican music and dancehall culture, youth development, black masculinities, black popular culture, gender, identity, and power. She is currently completing her second book, Man Vibes: Discourses of Masculinity in Jamaican Dancehall Culture.
She also hosts the daytime radio talk show, Disclosure, on Hot 102 FM.
Sharing today's spotlight also will be the launch of Vivien Goldman's Book of Exodus: The Making and meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers' Album of the Century. The double-bill programme begins at 6:00 pm.
A professor of punk and reggae at New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, Vivien Goldman has dedicated much to Afro-Caribbean and global music. She began her contribution to Reggae as the Public relations officer who helped in getting Bob Marley's message across the world.
Goldman's work has appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, Interview, Spin and Rolling Stone. She conceived of and co-produced the groundbreaking 80's TV music series, Big World Cafe, and has made several documentaries and videos for artistes including Hugh Masekela, and Eric B and Rakim.