Holding On To Jah, Dublin , The Little Green Street Gallery , Premiere Review:
In the middle of October I got word from my good friend Patricia Kelly in the States that finally, Roger Landon Hall's film 'Holding On To Jah'
was at last coming to Dublin for its Irish Premiere. This documentary, which reveals the rich historic basis for the Rastafari Movement,
is also produced by Harrison 'Professor' Stafford, lead singer of the great Groundation Band.
Patricia has tirelessly promoted the film these past years.
During this time, she had sent me information and clips from it, from which it wasn’t hard to see that this movie would be a must see for any roots reggae fan.
Notably, there are many interviews with reggae icons like Joseph Hill and the mighty Sugar Minott who, since the making of this movie,
have passed from this world to the next.
So when I found out it was to hit these shores, shown in conjunction with The Reggae Movement Exhibition which had been travelling Europe promoting reggae music,
I was fairly excited to finally get to see this film.
At last, from the 9th to 13th of November 2011, The Reggae Movement Exhibition rolled in to Dublin.
I travelled into the city the second night to attend the premiere, turning up to early at the little Green Street Gallery were the event was being held,
I hung back outside and fired up a draw; a few other attendees obviously had the same idea :-) .
When I got inside the gallery, which I must say was a very small venue, every seat was taken and people were sitting on the floor.
Luckily someone brought some more chairs in and I made a grab for one and brought it up to the front and claimed a nice spot.
The screen was huge, thankfully, and had a nice-sized sound system to go with it.
Before the movie got under way, Ronan Lynch, who runs 'Irie Up' magazine and was producing the event, came up to say a few words,
thanking us all on behalf of the director and all those involved in the making of ‘Holding On To Jah.’
Finally the lights went down and the drum beat started.
The sound was superb and I sat back and relaxed into what turned out to be 90 minutes of pure roots reggae magic.
The narration for the film was done by none other than Roger 'Rojah' Steffens who also, throughout the film, got a lot of interview time.
The story began with the discovery, colonization and slavery industry of Jamaica.
Reggae icons like Bernard Collins of The Abyssinians and Ras Michael were prominent in this section of the movie,
talking about Colombus’ discovery and rape of Jamaica and of the English landing and gaining control of the island.
Pablo Moses discussed the Maroon’s Rebellion, citing the guerilla warfare they fought with the English,
who finally had to negotiate a peace settlement with the Maroons, giving them their own piece of land on which to live and rule themselves.
Reggae singer and elder Winston McAnuff spoke of the deals the Maroons entered into with the British at times.
Some Jamaicans were not happy about an arrangement in which Maroons turned over runaway slaves to the British colonizers.
But, as Ras Michael observed, in times of war and history there are always negotiations.
The sound system clashed thunder as the screen flashed lightning and Marcus Garvey's voice was heard.
What an orator he was! The next section of the film was based on Garvey’s career.
Burning Spear’s “Marcus Garvey” filled the gallery as his story began and Roger Steffens added an explanation of Garvey's beginnings in Jamaica
His early history was also told by Pablo Moses and others like Ashanti Roy of The Congos, who spoke about the move to America and the setting up of the UNIA and the Black Star Line.
Peter Tosh's ‘Equal Rights’ played as Joseph Hill spoke of Marcus Garvey’s work for equal rights and justice not just for his own people, but for all people.
Again the lightning flashed and an image of His Imperial Majesty flashed across the screen as The Abyssinians’ ‘Satta Masa Gana’ filled the venue.
As footage of Haile Sellasie followed, Roger Steffens spoke of Garvey’s prophesy to look to the east for the coming of a Black King.
IJahman Levi spoke of the significance of this for Rastas in Jamaica.
Pablo Moses described the early years of the movement and the setting up of the Rasta encampments in the hills above Kingston and further on.
Historic color footage of Haile Selassie's coronation was shown, as were images from the shameful Italian invasion and His Majesty at the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Selassie’s visit to Jamaica in 1966 came next with Don Carlos acknowledging that he wrote ‘Just A Passing Glance' as a result of that day
when he caught only a glimpse of His Imperial Majesty, but it changed his life forever.
Sugar Minott, U. Roy and many more spoke of their experiences that historic day on the little island as the sun broke through the clouds.
All the while the music played throughout as this story was told from The Congos to Robert Nesta Marley to U. Roy.
The first thing I will say here is that I look forward to the soundtrack of this film.
Rasta elders and artists like Joseph “Culture” Hill (who spoke while wrapping up a draw), detailed the treatment of Rastas in the ‘60s who were being persecuted and treated as outcasts, caught on the street and having their locks cut off.
Every artist who spoke in this documentary shone through with their intellects and knowledge on Jamaica’s history and culture.
Pablo Moses being perhaps the most prominent, really impressive, as were Joseph Hill and all the others.
His Imperial Majesty's advisor during his time in power, Abba Melkezedik, was interviewed about his time spent with Selassie, the meaning of the man and his exile.
Roger 'Rojah'Steffens was brilliant in getting out his views on His majesty and Rastafari throughout this section, it must be said.
Then came the portion of the film beginning to tell the tale of roots reggae music.
As Joseph Hill said : ‘Any music with human blood line I love to listen to it. Well, [it’s] roots reggae that human bloodline pulses through.’
As I sat back in the venue fully immersed in what was on screen, Roger Steffens and artists like Cedric Myton, Apple Gabriel and Israel Vibration spoke on reggae’s history, giving their insights into the true meaning of reggae, the King's music, the sufferer’s music.
A near-toothless Countryman (who I first saw in that famous movie named after him thirty years back) was interviewed on the beach in his Rasta encampment.
As the roots reggae music constantly boomed out the speakers, its history was laid bare by those who were there from the beginning.
Roger spoke of his falling in love with reggae the first time he heard it in 1973 after seeing 'The Harder They Come' and then buying the soundtrack.
From there his life also most certainly changed forever. He was given a lot of interview time throughout the film, shot in his 'Ark-hives' in Hell-ay (Los Angeles), like he used to say .
Before I knew it the credits began to come up and a roots gem pumped out of the speakers, but for the life of me I can’t remember the song.
So I’d finally got to see ‘Holding On To Jah’ and I most certainly wasn’t disappointed.
I only look forward to getting a copy on dvd. a must-see for all fans of reggae music, of roots music, of Rasta music.
