Roots and Culture

We all heard at one point that music is a universal language. But did you know that it was also used to fight for justice and liberation? This is especially true for Reggae. It began as a musical genre for marginalized people in Jamaica who used their music to protest against systems of oppression. Reggae was also used by women to fight for their rights. The voice of powerful Black Women resonated so strongly that in 1944, Jamaican women were granted the right to vote and sit in Parliament. In this module, meet Jah’Mila, a Jamaican-born Halifax-based vocalist who performs not only Bob Marley’s protest songs but also her own with the NAC Orchestra.

Featuring

JOHNNY WAS A GOOD MAN 
Composed by Bob Marley 
Original Lyrics by Bob Marley 
Arranged by Aaron Davis 
Performed by par Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Jah’Mila, Kristine Kovačević, Owen ‘O’Sound’ Lee, Charlie Benoit, Alec Frith, Tedmund Skiffington, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra

CHANT THEIR NAMES 
Composed by Jhamiela Smith, Richard McNeil 
Original Lyrics by Jhamiela Smith, Richard McNeil 
Arranged by Aaron Davis
Performed by Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Jah’Mila, Kristine Kovačević, Owen ‘O’Sound’ Lee, Charlie Benoit, Alec Frith, Tedmund Skiffington, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra

BLACK WOMAN 
Composed by Judy Mowatt 
Original Lyrics by Judy Mowatt 
Arranged by Aaron Davis 
Performed by Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Jah’Mila, Kristine Kovačević, Owen ‘O’Sound’ Lee, Charlie Benoit, Alec Frith, Tedmund Skiffington, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra

REDEMPTION SONG 
Composed by Bob Marley 
Original Lyrics by Bob Marley 
Arranged by Christopher Palmer 
Performed by Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Jah’Mila, Kristine Kovačević, Owen ‘O’Sound’ Lee, Charlie Benoit, Alec Frith, Tedmund Skiffington, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra