Lucky Dube and the Contemporary World

By

Emordi Promise Jude

Contact: judeokonji024@gmail.com or +2347037923560

Good people don’t last so long is indeed an aphorism when it comes to reggae prophets, musicians and artist. Bob Marley the internationally acclaimed king of reggae died at the age of 36, while Jacob Miller who happens to be second only to Bob Marley died at the age of 27, Peter Tosh one of the founding members of the original Wailers died at the age of 42 and in 18th October 2007, Lucky Dube the African acclaimed king of reggae died at the age of 43.

Lucky Dube was born in an area in South Africa known as Mpumalanga, in the year 1964. The reggae icon childhood background was highly characterized by loneliness, struggles, depression and bitterness due to the broken marriage between his parents which he was a victim of such experience. He once acclaimed that his grandmother laid the foundation of his success story.

The music that Lucky Dube gave South Africa in particular, and the world in general is highly rich with the following contents; peace, hope, war against racism and discrimination, war against apartheid and colonialism as well as exposing some social vices in the world as well as the impact of broken homes on children. He drew inspirations from Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff. Although, the demise of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh between 1981 and 1987 actually paved the way for Lucky Dube to fill the lacuna as regards radical reggae music as a transformational and evolutionary force that is capable of resisting and protecting the interest of the poor masses around the world.

A look at his song track with the name well fed slave, epitomized his ability to unravel some of the challenges facing destitute, unemployment and convicted persons. He was able to decipher the nexus between slavery and pseudo freedom. This is a replica of African situations after a pseudo independence was granted to them, whereas, their economy and internal politics where not free from external controls and manipulations. Do you want to be a well fed slave or a hungry free man is indeed a complex decision that many African countries are yet to deal with till date.

Arguably, being a well fed slave depicts a total clamp down on freedom. This is because a slave has no say or property of his own since he is not a free man. Likewise, a hungry free man portrays freedom without liberty to control ones environment and forces within and outside such environment and as such, since the whole body gradually becomes depressed and consequently ends up being weak due to hunger, of what use is such a freedom to move around when one can not get a job, food, clothing and shelter and other essential material conditions of life in order to live and procreate. Nigeria for example, obtained her independence from Britain but her economy and politics is largely susceptible to the vagaries of western interference and internal revolutionary pressures such as; poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, corruption and insecurity challenges. This illustration clearly shows the impact of that track on the condition of contemporary Africans.

Tracks like; peace perfect peace, different colours one people, and I love you all shows his contributions towards the peaceful coexistence of mankind on earth and a radical fight against racial discriminations and segregations which constitutes a paradox to western democracy. While, the track, Tax Man is a wake up call to the tax system under neo-liberal configuration that is often characterized as non progressive in nature. Also, the track reveals how the states in Africa turned out to be a replica of the colonial repressive state which believes in little in-put for maximum out-put.

Nevertheless, tracks like; Release me, remember me and its not easy clearly shows the bitter outcome of broken relationship, marriages and homes as well as their psychological undercurrents. In release me, the reggae icon was able to prove the power of true love and the consequences of such love to progress beyond the nuptial level. The lyric depicts the emotional dense mechanism superiority of men over women. He tends to be as strong as a play boy while bearing the pains. While the female lover who tries so hard to forget him ends up calling his name in the midst of another man. R

Rememberemember me was more or less his own childhood experiences without a father. It equally reveals the impact of broken marriages on women and their children as currently playing out around the world in form of Single parenting mostly women as popularly known in Nigeria as (Baby mama). Its not easy is an eye opener that not all that glitters is indeed gold and as such, marriage as an institution is not something people should rush into, just like the way teenagers falls in and out of love at will.

House of exile, Prisoner and Slave clearly shows the contradictions of slave trade, colonialism, apartheid and imperialism. For example, Nelson Mandela who was able to spit into the eyes of apartheid regime in South Africa was placed in jail for many years this very incidence is a replica of the message as contained in the track House of Exile. In Prisoner, the value of education as the only catalyst and key capable of unlocking the doors of civilization was unmasked. Also, the recalcitrant attitudes of the colonial government to invest in the human capital development of the colonized people attracted some deride by Lucky Dube. By extension, the colonial government have to build more prisons and law courts in order to fast-track the imposition of heavy taxes on the colonized people so as to introduce the capitalist economy that is already monetized. Slave, however, shows how addiction can induce enslavement. For example, being a linquor addict has the ability of making such an addict to praise and worship linquor above any other thing.

In summary, Lucky Dube has indeed contributed positively towards the upgrading and further expansion of reggae world wide. He was able to stay focus even when he was a victim of a broken home and later rose to the top as an influential musician, he never allowed the influence of wealth to dilute his radical messages that are geared towards the eradication of crime, poverty, wars, racial discrimination and he was able to preach the message of love, hope and freedom to the poor and needy around the world. The new generation musicians should emulate such icons like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff and Lucky Dube, by giving the world music of hope for a better tomorrow and a radical music that is capable of fighting the ills around the world, instead of producing noise with less important message.