'Bad Friday' documents brutality to Rastafari

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

In a predominantly Christian society, even if mainly in form and not function, Rastafari occupies a curious middle space. Embraced on the artistic performance stage and the hairstyle - especially among women - the epitome of 'natural' among non-Rastafarians, as a system of spirituality, Rastafari is still at best a curiosity for the Christian majority.

This may have much to do with its origins among the poorer class of the society - and the documentary Bad Friday, which was screened to a large audience at 56 Hope Road, St Andrew, last Thursday evening, utilises these roots, in its exploration of what is popularly known as the Coral Gardens Incident.

As it occurred around Good Friday, in customary inversion and subversion of language to Rastafari, it has become known as 'Bad Friday', now the name of the documentary.

Elder Rastafari, as well as the western Kingston community of Back O' Wall (bulldozed to make way for, in part, Tivoli Gardens) are introduced early in 'Bad Friday' and the documentary's purpose is quickly made clear. For while it puts into audiovisual form memories oft-repeated live at the annual Coral Gardens remembrances in Montego Bay, St James, there is another objective to Bad Friday.

One Rastafari says in the early stages: "Apology can't be empty-handed, just a word use. Where is the recompense?"

While the actual incident, which includes the razing of a gas station, is at the core of the documentary, much of the screen time is dedicated to Rastafari speaking about the brutality which they were subjected to, even though they were totally unconnected to the occurrences in Montego Bay.

And while the recounting of beatings, not only by the security forces but also private citizens, is harrowing, the depth of the humiliation is driven home by one man's simple statement - "them beat me in front of me generation".

There are other very striking statements, a retired policeman who is a rare non-Rastafarian voice in Bad Friday saying that oftentimes at shooting practice the target images had locks. "In our mind that was the look of a criminal," he said.

There is another notable non-Rastafarian voice, that of the late Professor Barry Chevannes, speaking not only in an interview, but also at a Coral Gardens remembrance incident.

repression

Coral Gardens did not happen in isolation; Bad Friday traces a pattern of repression that includes the 1950 seaside murder and rape legendary for the name 'Wappy King', the 1957 Coronation Market Riot and Rev Claudius Henry's arrest for treason in 1960.

The shooting of Rudolph precipitated the Coral Gardens Incident and widespread backlash against Rastafari, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) government coming in for very harsh criticism.

In addition to utilising still images from the period, including newspaper text, Bad Friday also has the contribution of Lord Anthony Gifford, Mike Henry and Hugh Small, among others, making for a production which speaks to the Coral Gardens incident from multiple angles and also gives the long-term perspective.