Preface
From North America to mother Africa， a new sound can be
beard from the Caribbean haunting the places where Black
pcot~lc get together for music and dancing. From the pres-
tigious Hotel Ivoire in Abidlan on the Ivory Coast to the
secluded Meridian Hotel built by Kwame Nkruinah in tire
seaside city of Telna in Ghana， wherever the reggae is heard，
its lighthearted mysterious sound always evokes an emo+
tional reaction. Beginning with a slow， undulating， hesitant
bca~， the music of reggae assaults the priinitive brain stem
where einotions originate. Before the brain can decipher the
new beat， the driving Trench Town music captures and
transports tl c listener. The cffect of rcggac is magic; it is Af-
rica， lamaica， soul， nature， sorrow， hatc， and love all minglcd
together. It sprang from the hearts of Africa s children in
\"lhbylon\"--lamaica. It is liminal music that sings of op--
prcssion in exile， a longing for home， or for a place to feel at
holllC.
Ruggae， like its earlier counterpart calypso， qmckly be-
came a medium of social commentary as part of the African
I cultural tradition tran~，;ported to the Caribbean by the slaves.
It still serves as a social safety valve through which op-
pressed peoples express their disc~mtcnt. Like the music of
Africa， the reggae is for dancing， lint the lyrics elicit a variety
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