Last Tuesday, the Reggae Studies Unit presented an analysis of the sum of all the historic and creative parts that go into making what has become known in contemporary culture as 'clashing'...
News Source: Jamaica Gleaner"
With the Sting 2003, on-stage fight among Vybz Cartel, his cronies and Ninja Man on Boxing Day last year, it is easy to turn 'clashing' into the scapegoat for what ails dancehall and even the wider society.
ART
Professor Maureen Warner Lewis who has done extensive research in folk culture, couched the discussion in its historical perspective. Defining verbal clashing as the art of extemporisation, that is where two contestants would "make up on the spot verses in which they would insult each other".
She would however go on to point out that though the clash is a very traditional proceeding in many non-European societies, its current manifestation in European influenced societies, is quite different from its origins.
Warner Lewis began by pointing to the musical clash between rival calyspo bands, which often ended bloody until approximately 20 years ago. She also pointed to the pecong calypso tradition, wherein calypsonians pitted their lyricism against one another using very bawdy insults.
HURTFUL INSULTS AND VIOLENCE
Turning to Ghana, Warner Lewis argued that graphic hurtful insults and violence is usually used by the immature, or irresponsible. She noted, that while "grown men" would clash, they would do so in a more polite, artful form.
"The language of mature males can be insulting, but the insult must be told with poetry," she said. "You can be cutting but the main value is politeness."
Warner Lewis also pointed to the lewdness and violence which now accompanies clashing may be an outgrowth of a conscious or unconscious effort to "subvert what are considered mainstream values."
Commercialisation has also had its impact. "Violence can become an attention seeking device," she said pointing out that there is economic cache to be gained from the media blitz which accompanies violence.
Cecil Gutzmore, a lecturer in Caribbean Studies argued that a clash is no more than another form of competition, and that the terminology was simply a matter of political semantics. According to Gutzmore, the term competition, shows approval for the form, while 'clash' is a way of belittling it.
He argued that whether in 'highbrow' culture or popular culture, competition is a natural part of deciding who is truly talented. Gutzmore got even more controversial when he described the happenings of Sting as "a failure of the clash". Gutzmore argued the nature of the competition was broken down because the rules of engagement were not respected.
Derrick Morgan brought a first hand perspective of clashing. He gave an illustration of a bloodshed free clash (at least between the two performers) between himself and Prince Buster. Morgan gave the history of the slew of songs, starting his recording of Forward March with Leslie Kong, in response to which Buster created Black Head Chineyman.
While the deejays who have been involved in the numerous clashes which have been an integral part of the dancehall were missing, it was an interesting dissection of how the clash works.
