Stanley-Niaah speaks up for dancehall spaces

Space is critical to Dancehall: From Slave Ship to Ghetto and one of the striking images in the book, though an accustomed one, is a plan view of Africans crammed into a slave ship. Ghetto areas are infamous for their lack of space also, and dancehall has traditionally suffered from a lack of room for events to be staged.

In Dancehall: From Slave Ship to Ghetto, Dr Sonjah Stanley-Niaah points out that, like slave ships and plantations, the city has no space for celebration. And she tells The Sunday Gleaner that all of the celebrations of those who came through the Atlantic slave-trade experience happen in spaces that are regularly under siege, are policed and are characterised by nomadic events.

Long historical view

"It is interesting to take the long historical view," Stanley-Niaah says. She points out that the cycle of life is celebrated in dancehall, where there are birthday, memorial and anniversary events.

And the lack of venues has been "quite consistent", she says.

"From 400 years to now, it is the same characteristic. The enslaved had no space to celebrate ... . There is no space that is made for entertainment. There are streets, abandoned lots and the more commercial venues are priced out of the reach of persons putting on dancehall events."

"The book acknowledges that there is a commercial space, but I look at communities and how people in communities celebrate," Stanley-Niaah says.

She adds: "The book presents dancehall as industry and institution and it is important that the Government looks at dancehall in its industrial and institutional dimensions."

So, there is a recommendation for venues, as Stanley-Niaah says "we can't have our people continue to use spaces that are marginal, policed and temporary - not for a culture that is so important to national identity."

"We need venues that dancehall promoters can afford. We need venues that are not encroaching on the intentions of urban planners, who plan streets for vehicular traffic."

- M.C.