Dhillon Taylor
17 Sept. 2012
Uniting the Nation of Jamaica
The album “Survival”, released in 1979 by the great reggae musician Bob Marley, might be one of the most defiant albums ever created, expressing resistance to oppression and the belief in acting against governments, politicians, and other organizations that wield great power. To analyze the message in his album “Survival”, one must understand that Marley was not just an illustrious musician, but also a poet, a revolutionary, and a peace activist who was influential to millions of people during his lifetime and whose music still lives on to influence people today. According to the Bob Marley biography called “Life and Legacy” on the Official Bob Marley website, Marley had grown up in St. Anne, Jamaica and began his music career in Western Kingston, Jamaica in 1950. “Life and Legacy” stated that by the 1970’s, when political related violence was greatly damaging the nation, Marley was a music sensation and a man who was very popular in the entire country of Jamaica.
Veerle Poupeye, a scholar from the Edna Manley College in Jamaica, explains in her article, “What Times Are These? Visual Art and Social Crisis in Postcolonial Jamaica”, that the 1970’s in Jamaica were years of violence and political unrest. Poupeye explained that the two major political alliances, the Peoples National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), were constantly at odds and fighting for the support of the Jamaican people. Representing the People’s National Party during the 70’s was Michael Manley. Manley was the Prime Minister of Jamaica and favored democratic socialism as the form of government for the country (Poupeye 165). Edward Seaga, the leader of the Jamaica Labor Party, opposed Manley’s socialist ideals and with the support of the American Government, challenged Manley’s PNP. Jamaica seemed to be split into two and