Performances

Mutabaruka

Mutabaruka (formerly Allan Hope) was born in Rae Town, Kingston on 26th December, 1952. From his early teenage years, influenced by works such as Eldridge Cleaver's Soul on Ice and Malcolm X's Autobiography, he developed the revolutionary spirit and passion for black empowerment that have made him one of Jamaica's most controversial and electrifying poets and performers. He attended Kingston Technical High School , then apprenticed as an electrician, after which he went to work with the Jamaica Telephone Company. In 1971, he quit his job to write full time. Mutabaruka was the first well publicized voice in the new wave of poets, popularly referred to as “dub” poets, that emerged in the early 1970s His early works regularly appeared in the pop music magazine Swing : their sharp critique, satirical vision and fiery lyricism have become a hallmark of Muta's prolific output. That output includes dozens of audio and video productions, such as Outcry (1973) Life Squared (1989) The Mystery Unfolds (1990), Blak Wi Blak…k…k (1991), Melanin Man (1994), The Ultimate Collection (1996), Coping with Babylon: The Proper Rastology (2007). Books of poetry include The Book: First Poems published in 1981 (ed. Mervyn Morris) and reissued with Next Poems in a double volume in 2005; Sun and Moon (1976) with Faybiene, and Seed ( 2002). Muta has collaborated with other artists such as Jean Binta Breeze, Ini Kamoze and Dennis Brown. He is a well known presence at Reggae Sunsplash, and has also performed to international acclaim in the United States , Africa and the Caribbean . In 1994 he established his radio own station, Irie-FM. A committed Rastafarian, Muta sees his religion as part of a universal quest which may also be pursued by other routes, such as Hinduism, Buddhism or Christianity. However, he disapproves of institutionalized religion: “the priest “has used your mind/ to make love/with the/dead.”