Who is Mr Brown?

JAMAICANS LOVE what is called a good funeral, 'good' meaning for many a huge crowd, a large number of cars, an equally large quantity of food, and copious amounts of drinks.

The drama associated with violent deaths, funerals, and crime scenes provides a kind of warped entertainment that keeps Jamaicans transfixed and talking for days about the garish details. When the case can be linked to the occult, this adds to the thrills and excitement.

In the late 1970s, a rumour swept the country that a coffin was travelling around Jamaica accompanied by two John Crows who kept asking for a Mr Brown. Whenever news spread that it was parked in a village or town square, crowds would rush to the scene in order to report that they were witnesses to this supernatural manifestation.

At one time, it created panic and near rioting when it was said to have been sighted at Parade in downtown Kingston. The massive crowds became boisterous, stores were forced to close, and traffic came to a standstill. People 'committed perjury' when they swore they saw the coffin going up the steps of a courthouse and causing consternation inside the building.

Bob Marley immortalised the incident and captured the hysteria when he sang about 'that clown, Mr Brown'. "Who is Mr Brown, I wanna know now, He is nowhere to be found, From Mandeville to Sligoville, upsetting the town", while "Down in Parade, people running like a masquerade", but "What a thing in town, crows chauffeur-driven around."

solemnity lost

It took a visit to a well-known public cemetery several years ago to convince me that funerals had lost much of their solemnity. While the family members grieved, others displayed their sense of loss in the most extraordinary ways. For example, the vast and well-laid-out lawns seemed to have become a catwalk for the most daring and bizarre fashion shows.

Vendors of ice cream, soft drinks, liquor, food, and even clothing, roamed the grounds peddling their wares without the slightest regard for the gravity of the occasion.

A parson, who had been delayed in traffic, had to fight his way through the crowd as he attempted to locate his church group. He was offered any amount of drinks for sale as he tried to find the spot.

And, of course, in keeping with modern ways, noise is a way of life, or death, at a funeral. So, even at the graveside, there were music boxes blaring, friends greeting each other, loud talking and laughing, and very little respect for the dead.

Fortunately, the casual behavior and the flippancy described above are not the norm. Our churches insist on the highest standards of dignity and reverence. For the most part, the church service itself has been left sanctified and genuine mourners get a chance to worship, reflect, and give thanks for the life of the departed. For Christians, it is a time to draw on the inner strength nourished by faith and hope in the resurrected Christ. A little quiet, a little solitude, a little dignity is what is asked.

magnificent tribute

Of such was the dignity and respect accorded to Rupert Davis at that magnificent tribute paid to him at the St. Gabriel's Anglican Church in May Pen recently. Families all over Jamaica still find solace and love in the support and concern shown by friends and neighbours in their time of bereavement, and appreciate good behaviour at their funerals, whether inside or outside the church.

"Dance then, wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance said He, And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He."

On another note, that doomsday warning last week, as scurrilous as it was, gave us a sharp reminder that God will indeed be coming back for His world one day, but in His own good time. Jamaicans, brought up on the Bible, for the most part turned a deaf ear to the soothsayers.

A little boy said trustingly that he did not believe Jesus would return in the middle of the mango season. It's not for us to know, nor for anyone to tell.

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