1 March 2019 KW Magazine | 1
Contents
FEATURE 26
Editorial .................................. 4 How to Read Jamaican................ 6
6
A Gospel Crossover Artiste............ 8 Interview - Sylvia Gilfillian............. 10 Cultural Relevance in Worship A Ghanaian Perspective............. 14
8
Kom Mek Wi Worship 1 ............... 18 Notn Do De - Music Score........... 20 Im A Di Wie - Music Score............ 22 Sonic Salvation: Jamaican Bible Remix............................................. 24 How Crew 40:4 Began................. 26 Kom Mek Wi Worship 2 ............... 32 Poem - Ps 151 ............................... 35
14 24
11 Questions with KW................... 36 Kids - Crew.................................... 40 Poem - Every Knee....................... 44 The Wycliffe Legacy..................... 46 Waiting and Working................... 48
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Editorial and other eventualities, here it is, finally coming out in February, 2019, with a much wider concept and a proposal for a quarterly release! We will feature CREW 40:4 it’s origins and accomplishments to date.
W
elcome to our inaugural issue of KOM MEK WI WORSHIP - CREWSHALL Connections in Faith and Culture! We aim to facilitate conversations about worship and cultural identity among Christfollowers on the African Continent and those in her Diasporas. “Delay is not denial” is a well-known saying in recent times. This is certainly true of this publication. It started out as an anniversary booklet for CREW 40:4 with a planned release date of July 1, 2018. At the time, we began to envision it as an annual publication. Now, after delays caused by illnesses, 4 | KW Magazine March 2019
We also plan to showcase visual and performing artistes, have a space for the academic and share testimonies of leaders who have struggled or are struggling with issues of cultural identity in the worship space. We are also developing a children’s corner, a history page, a health column and a section for music scores of new worship songs from the African Diaspora. We even hope to find space to share our best recipes with each other! This issue is being viewed as a prerelease. We are inviting you, our first readers, to give us as much feedback as you can so that we will have a clear idea of how best to meet your needs through this medium. We certainly don’t want to scratch where you are not itching! We are so proud to be interviewing one of Jamaica’s best-kept secrets, author Sylvia Gilfillian, who was short-listed for the Una Marson Prize for her book The Road to Timnath. There are also greetings from the director of our ministry associates Music in World Cultures and from the
KW worship
KOM MEK WI
Volume 1 - Issue 1 director of Wycliffe Bible Translators Caribbean, with whom I served as an ethnomusicologist for seven years. Other articles include a brief overview of the work of University of Canterbury’s Professor Robert Beckford of BBC fame, Rev. Joseph Gyebi of the United Church in Accra, Ghana sharing his thoughts on cultural relevance in worship, and a delightful devotional-type piece on ‘waiting and working’ from Nigerian Reggae Gospel Minister Muma Lucee. Do you have a product or service that you think could be of benefit to the readers of this publication? Here is your chance to contribute to the growth of this movement, grow your business, and contribute to the development of your brethren and sistren globally. There will be limited space available in each issue for your advertisements. The way we see it, it’s a ‘win-win-win’ situation! Interested? Contact us at kommekwiworship@gmail.com. We can’t wait to hear your responses to CREW-SHALL Connections in Faith and Culture. What we truly want is to see our people at home and abroad connecting with themselves, connecting with each other and by so doing, connecting with our God Yahweh in a deeper, more authentic way. KOM MEK WI WORSHIP! p
Kom Mek Wi Worship Magazine is a quarterly publication of CREW 40:4 - a non-profit entity based in Jamaica, whose mission is to spread the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ through culturally relevant expressions of worship. The magazine’s aim is to facilitate conversations about worship and cultural identity among Christ-followers on the African Continent and in her Diasporas.
Disclaimer: We may not agree with all views expressed by contributors or interviewees. Telephone: + 876 820 0258 e-mail: kommekwiworship@ gmail.com Website: www.crew40-4.com
Kom Mek Wi Worship
@GodincidencesJA Cover photo: Fernandez Barrett
Published by: PUBLISHING
March 2019 KW Magazine | 5
HOW TO READ JAMAICAN OU FI RIID JAMIEKAN Many years ago, the majority of the ancestors of Jamaican people were enslaved by Europeans and brought to the island on ships. They were taken from various language groups, and therefore faced a linguistic crisis. How were they to communicate with each other? How were they to communicate with those who had enslaved them? Within what could be considered a relatively short period of time, God gave them the creative wisdom to design a new language that is called Patwa or Jamaican (Jamiekan). On the outside, primarily through its vocabulary, it highly resembles the English language of their colonizers. However, on the inside, that is, how the language is used, or its grammatical structure, it is based on African languages. The authorized spelling system for the Jamaican language is still very new, and not yet known by many Jamaicans. However, it is extremely simple. It is simple because there are only two main 6 | KW Magazine March 2019
principles: 1. Each and every sound is represented. There are no silent letters. 2. One symbol, one sound; one sound, one symbol. There are no exceptions to this rule. Some symbols have two letters, but most have one. It is a completely phonetic system. Although you don’t need to know this in order to pronounce the letters, I will tell you anyway - the letters ‘x’ and ‘c’ (existing by itself without an ‘h’) do not exist. All other consonants are pronounced exactly as you know them from the English language. This means that for the most part, we only need to concentrate on the pronunciations for the vowels. Here we go! SHORT VOWEL SOUNDS ‘a’ is like the ‘a’ in bat ‘e’ is like the ‘e’ in bed ‘i’ is like the ‘i’ in ink ‘o’ is like the ‘o’ in come’ ‘u’ is like the ‘u’ in put
LONG VOWEL SOUNDS Two identical vowels together represent the long vowel sound. Eg.
is represented by ‘sh’ - presha. The ’s’ in ‘pleasure’ is represented by ‘zh’ plezha 2. The symbol ‘or’ is pronounced like ‘aa’ is like the ‘a’ in bath the ‘er’ in richer. This is exactly like ‘ee’ is like the ‘ei’ in ‘neigh’ the ‘or’ in worship and word. This ‘ii’ is like the ‘ee’ in need or the ‘ea’ in means that the word ‘bird’ would ‘read’ be spelled ‘bord’ … Except that in ‘uu’ is like the ‘oo’ in ‘food’ Jamaica we don’t say ‘bird’ we say ‘bod’ (bud)! There are double-vowel symbols representing Now that you have all the principles, see sounds that do not exist in if you can read this well-known verse of the English language. Scripture: ‘ie’ represents the way Jamaicans pronounce the ‘a’ in ‘plate’ and the ‘ai’ “Kaa yu si, Gad lov di worl so moch dat im gi op im wan dege-dege Bwai Pikni, in nail ‘ai’ represents the ‘i’ in isle and life. It is so enibadi we chos iina Im naa go ded bot a-go liv fi eva!” (Jan 3:16) just like the ‘ai’ in ‘aisle’ ‘ou’ is like the ‘ow’ in ‘cow’ For more of the Jamaican New ‘uo’ represents the way Jamaicans Testament/Jamiekan Nyuu pronounce the ‘o’ in ‘close’ and the ‘oa’ Testiment visit www.youversion. in ‘throat’ com for both written and audio versions. You may also purchase a Jamaicans add nasalization on the ends copy online from www.biblesociety. of some words. This is represented by org.uk or www.amazon.com. p ‘hn’, for example ‘waahn’ (want) TWO SPECIAL NOTES 1. The ‘ss’ in the English word ‘pressure’
by Jo-Ann Richards Goffe Ethnodoxologist, Exec. Director - CREW 40:4
March 2019 KW Magazine | 7
s s o r C
by Dr. Meagan Sylvester Music Sociologist, Author, Researcher from Trinidad & Tobago
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he face of Gospel Music in Trinidad and Tobago is changing. In this issue we will focus on the work of gospel artiste Genisa St. Hillaire who goes by the stage name “Nisa”. In her own words, Nisa states that she is a trendy dresser, well-known for her unique fashion sense. She is a delicately poised balance of classic jazz fused with a tasteful blend of neo-soul undertones and more recently, a soft but convincing expression of Soca, the cultural sound of Trinidad and & Tobago. The gifted singer-songwriter and vocal arranger is undoubtedly one of Trinidad and Tobago’s purist vocalists.
By any admission this is not the usual profile of a gospel performer in the Caribbean. Given this profile, this article will unpack the standard understanding of the gospel and delineate what is usually understood as gospel music. Further we will discuss the crossover music in which this Trinidadian artiste is involved, in an effort to ascertain what drives this “Church girl” of the Seventh Day 8 | KW Magazine March 2019
l e p s o AG Artiste
Adventist denomination to want to step out of the box and delve into what is considered “worldly” musical genres. For Nisa, her musical journey began at the young age of ten. Coming from a musical family, she admits that she came to the realization that
r e ov she wanted to pursue music very early in her childhood. An avid reader, accomplished soloist, she is also a member of local gospel group
Coming from “Christian” church roots one wonders what makes Nisa want to experiment with secular forms of music. The answer is simple, when asked what inspires her, she simply responded: “love... the search for love.” In short, the attraction to neo-soul and jazz in particular filled the void for stories to be sung about love, how it is expressed and how humans react to it. Soca music on the other hand, boggles the mind. Traditionally known as a music which accompanies the pagan festival of Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, it is startling that this gospel artiste “dabbles” in this musical form.
In our next issue we will delve more deeply into the connections between this Christian artiste and her meanderings into what is considered “non-Christian musical forms”.
“Surrender”. Nisa, winner of the 2014, W107’s Talent Search Competition, possesses an impressive musical resume that has seen her accompany and share the stage with the likes of gospel artistes Vashawn Mitchell, Jermaine Edwards, Papa San, Samuel Dyer, Rizon and Jadee.
Sociologist Emile Durkheim wrote extensively on the sociology of religion and in particular on issues related to the sacred and the profane. Using these Durkheimian sociological concepts, we will seek to explore to what extent Nisa is stepping out of the box as a gospel artiste yet at the same time bringing the gospel to the world. In sum, the “sacred” and the “profane” though oxymorons are abiding to fulfil purpose. p March 2019 KW Magazine | 9
Feature Interview with
Sylvia Gilfillian
A JAMAICAN
AUTHOR FINDS
HER VOICE 10 | KW Magazine March 2019
Sylvia Gilfillian laughs more readily these days when she is asked about her debut novel, The Road to Timnath (AuthorHouse, 2016). However, during the 15 years that it took her to complete the first draft she did more sighing than laughing and there were a few tears too. She was struggling to embrace her mission to give voice to characters who spoke, emoted and lived the Jamaican experience. KW: Sylvia, why did you decide to write The Road to Timnath? Sylvia: I had read several excellent Jamaican novels in which the authors wrote something that looked and sounded like Jamaican but to my nuanced ear, these people did not sound quite right. To me, they had been diluted to make them palatable to others. I didn’t think that I could write in that vein. I was struggling to transcribe authentic Jamaican Creole voices to my work. It wasn’t that I did not know these voices. In my mind, they were vocal, nuanced, prophetic powerful and insistent but I wasn’t sure that they would be acceptable to my readers. KW: Why did you think that your readers may find the authentic Jamaican Creole voices unacceptable, and why do you think it was such a struggle for you
to accept this assignment? Sylvia: Simply because I could still hear the voices of rebuke and condemnation from my childhood. “ Pikni! Wa mek yu chat so bad?! Despite my deep conviction and understanding that the Jamaican Creole meets all linguistic qualifications to be considered a language, I wasn’t sure that I was strong enough to deal with the rejection that I thought would come. I am quite frankly somewhat reclusive and I did not want my work to elicit controversy. However, the sense of ancestral directive overtook my fears. KW: Was there a specific moment that you can identify as being the catalyst that pushed you to actually write and publish the book? Sylvia: After many rewrites I decided to take a leap of faith after I presented a lecture on “Finding the Authentic Creole Voice in Caribbean Literature.” This was while I attended Fairleigh Dickinson University’s MFA programme from which I graduated in 2008. The lecture was so well received and there were so many questions about the language landscape in Jamaica that I decided to translate my thesis to reality. KW: How much time did it take for you to actually complete and March 2019 KW Magazine | 11
publish the novel? Sylvia: The novel The Road to Timnath under a different title was already 11 years in the making but it would be another 8 years before it would be published. KW: Sylvia you recognized that using the Jamaican Creole in this novel would be risky. What did you really want to communicate that was so much more important than the fear of taking that risk? Sylvia: What actually happened was that I set out to tell stories in a manner that covered the entire Jamaican language continuum. The characters in the story range from the erudite to the unlettered but each occupies the page in equal standing. I wanted to show that each is of equal value. There is Miss Maudie who tells her granddaughter, “Fram tideh aan, yu ha fi careful roun bwai pikni” and Miss Birdie who sternly tells the young Joanie Jackman, “Put the tray on the buffet and go back for the broth!” In the mesolectal range is Uncle Nathan who says of the adult Joanie, “Maudie, my dear, A feel bad to know dat Jimmy do dis kinda damage and run leave it.” KW: So after all this struggling and risk-taking, you received a pleasant surprise. Tell us a little about that. 12 | KW Magazine March 2019
Sylvia: Well, after completing the manuscript in 2015, I entered the Lignum Vitae Writing Competition in Jamaica and the manuscript was actually short-listed for the Una Marson Prize. I read this as a sign to publish and did just that in 2016. KW: Congratulations! May there be many awards for you in the future! I have had the privilege of being one of the first to read this manuscript. I remember staying up all night to finish it and when it was done, my first action was to contact you to find out when the sequel would be coming out! Is there an update on that? Sylvia: You’ll be happy to know that I am currently writing the sequel. KW: Awesome! And what are your general writing plans for the future? Sylvia: I plan to continue to write across the Jamaican language continuum, representing the broad spectrum of characters that exist in the Jamaican society. As far as I am concerned, I have not been called to only be an interpreter of the Jamaican language, expressing in English, the thoughts, feelings and words of Jamaican Creole speakers but to be a medium who gives full expression to the glorious, hilarious somber, poetic and expressive Jamaican Creole
language. KW: This magazine is designed to facilitate conversations about worship and culture. Your writing certainly highlights the culture of Jamaica. Would you say that there is anything about it that could help the reader to have a deeper, more authentic worship experience? Sylvia: The life of the church is at the center of my book and it ends with worship when a “wrap-head” ‘Mada’ enters a Baptist church to turn the congregants away from a destructive path. While I did not intend to paint this scenario as a prescription for worship I did mean to imply that there is freedom in
worship that comes from a freed tongue. This is part and parcel of finding one’s voice. It is impossible to worship fully while clothed in shame. KW: Powerful! Any final words for now? Sylvia: The Road to Timnath tells compelling stories of unforgettable characters but it also documents numerous Jamaican proverbs and sayings as well as many terms, metaphors, analogies and a worldview that is uniquely Jamaican. Each time I attend the funeral of an elder, I am given new conviction that this is necessary work. p
SELECT ARROW PUBLISHING AND
DESIGNS
SelectArrow.net office.selectarrow@ gmail.com
March 2019 KW Magazine | 13
Cultural Relevance in
I
A Ghanaian perspective
share a few times in seminars on praise and worship and sometimes it’s interesting to see the reaction of worship leaders when I mention the fact that sometimes they try to crank up the people in worship with several English songs and get an OK response. However when they switch to the local dialect, the room is literally set on fire. Peoples seem to be NOW worshipping. What seems to be going on with this observation? Heart language! When people worship using their heart language, you can easily tell. The barriers are broken down, the veil is torn in two and they have true access to the throne of grace. Hallelujah! When expressing yourself to God, you don’t want to do it in a language that you need to process extensively in your mind. You don’t want to feel restricted lacking vocabulary or the ability to communicate it in a way that comes naturally to you. Sadly many people in Ghana are unable to worship in their heart language for a number of reasons. 14 | KW Magazine March 2019
In our history we find that the missionaries who were some of the earliest to present the gospel, did it in a way that came naturally to them and in a language that came naturally to them, but then they proceeded to make this the norm for worship. Their converts then had to conform to the European language and style of worship to be truly Christian. Thank God for people like some Ghanaians who could not help it but burst out singing Ebibinnwom which is believed to be the earliest truly African Christian song. Others came along and started creating Ghanaian language hymns and songs which although set to European hymn tunes or patterned after them still helped many worship from their hearts. A true watershed moment was when Prophet Wade Harris started preaching along the Ivory and Gold Coasts using local instruments like a calabash rattle and singing and dancing using the local idiom of the people he preached to. This opened the way for many other
churches formed by his converts to feel free to use their God given local music forms to express themselves in worship towards him. The Pentecostal movement preserved and expanded these music forms for worship and we are able to benefit from this. However, sometimes we feel that as International churches or urban churches we must not use the local dialects and songs. And yet every time we switch to them we find the church more alive in worship. In a multicultural environment we must be intentional about getting into our worship selections songs that are representative and can have as many people worship in their heart language as possible. We also have people groups who have no scriptures in their mother tongue and as a result no Christian songs have been composed in their languages. They tend to have to use other languages in worship. Efforts at translating significant portions of the scriptures in these languages must be made and accompanied with song writing workshops to help
bridge this gap. Oh what an amazing feeling it is to know that God also speaks my language! Can you picture if there were no Twi songs or Ga songs? How will worship be like for the majority of Ghanaians? That is how these people groups feel, having to sing Twi or Ewe songs all the time at church. Remember that God made us different ethnic or people groups for a reason (Acts 17:26), and His vision for the last days is people from every nation, tribe and tongue worshipping in spirit and in truth with all their cultural diversity. Revelation 7:9, 10 says “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” p by Joseph Gyebi Pastor, Ghanaian gospel musician March 2019 KW Magazine | 15
At Music In World Cultures, our passion and calling is to empower all nations and cultures to worship Christ. Nations are transformed when people are transformed, but only Christ has the power to transform lives. At MIWC, we believe that biblical training in worship and the use of music and music education in the church are primary means of preparing the local church to reach communities and countries for Jesus Christ. After MIWC President Stephen Benham met Jo-Ann Richards Goffe during a 2015 trip to Jamaica, she and MIWC joined forces and in January 2016, Richards Goffe, through her CREW 40:4 ministry, became an MIWC associate, giving MIWC a passionate, local advocate for authentic, biblical worship in the country of Jamaica, throughout the Caribbean and beyond. MIWC shares CREW 40:4’s vision to equip Jamaicans with the tools and resources necessary to create biblically-sound worship music in their own language and music system. According to Benham, “We believe God is calling us to help transform Jamaica for Christ.”
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Vehicle For Musical Development
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I
n 2002 I left Jamaica for Burkina Faso on a mission with Wycliffe Bible Translators. The mission was to work with local musicians in the churches, helping them to write new congregational songs using their own language and their own music. This was so important because most Burkinabe music systems use a pentatonic (5-note) scale which is very different from the western scale system. As a result, simply translating the language of songs from English or French to their mother tongues would not adequately provide them with songs they can connect with on a deep level. Added to that is the fact that many of the almost 70 languages spoken in Burkina Faso are tonal. This means that meaning resides not just in the pronunciations and grammatical structures, but also in the pitches! It was a great season, and many new songs were created through the songwriting workshops we facilitated. It gradually began to dawn on me that I was helping others to have something that my own people in Jamaica didn’t have - a collection of songs for church, based on Scripture, using our own language and music genres! Thus began the Kom Mek Wi Worship album series. There are currently two albums in this series. In this inaugural edition of CREW-SHALL CONNECTIONS we are sharing the scores for two of the most-sung pieces in local and global worship spaces. A huge ‘thank you’ to radio show host, veteran musician and friend Godfrey Taylor for preparing the scores so that the whole world can sing. p For the audio versions of the songs, visit CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Deezer and Google Play. Kom mek wi worship! March 2019 KW Magazine | 19
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by Robert Beckford PhD Professor of Theology, Canterbury Christchurch University
Sonic Salvation: Jam
L
et me begin by positioning myself in relation to the Jamaican language to explain my appropriation of the audio version of Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment (JNT) (www. Canterbury.ac.uk/JamaicanBible-Remix). Jamaican plays an important role in my cultural education and is integral to my professional work as a theologian. Growing up, I came to understand Jamaican as the language of black resistance. My parents spoke Jamaican patois at home, but ironically, did not 24 | KW Magazine March 2019
encourage their children to learn it. As colonised citizens, despite the language being important to them, in their estimation it would not be useful for their children’s advancement. But the ban simply made us crave this language more. We viewed it as an integral component of our diasporan identity, and within a context of racialised oppression, a resistance to the linguistic imperialism in our schools. The Jamaican language also is central to my work as a theologian. Recognising that language is always related
maican Bible Remix to power, I work with terms and tropes from the Jamaican linguistic tradition to decolonise theology. I use words and phrases to ‘blacken the Bible’ or make scripture contemporaneous with our struggles for justice. For instance, I reframe Christology by placing it in dialogue with the Rastafarian-Jamaican term ‘dread,’ to fold faith into political struggle.
The Jamaican Bible Remix album is a continuation of these cultural and academic practices but with a difference – it is an audio project. The album sets to music
samples from the JNT version and interweaves these texts with themes from black liberation theology and black British social issues. For instance, the track, ‘Incarnation: no blacks, no Irish, no dogs,’ compares the inclusivity of the incarnation (I John 1.14) with exclusion of the Windrush generation (https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=aF2TNt0E9oA).
The album is sonic salvation – using the JNT as a signifier of language as black resistance to the continued hegemony of colonial Christianity and social discrimination. p March 2019 KW Magazine | 25
HOW
CREW 40:4 BEGAN
T
he Jamaican New Testament was launched in Jamaica in December 2012. It was the result of a collaboration between the Bible Society of the West Indies and the Wycliffe Bible Translators Caribbean, in consultation with the Jamaica Language Unit at the University of the West Indies Mona, and exegetes from the main theological institutions. It was therefore not available when CREW 40:4 was born. However, it played a very important role. Having completed my stint with Wycliffe, I was moved to do ministry in churches and children’s homes in Jamaica. My work with Wycliffe had shown me the importance of using the mother tongue, so since I had access to the translators working on the Jamaican New Testament project, I would from time to time ask them for a passage, for example the story of Zaccheus or the Prodigal Son. On one particular day, I was invited to conduct a bible study at a church in an inner city community. The chosen passage was from Luke 15, the story of the Prodigal Son. We put the New 26 | KW Magazine March 2019
International Version up on the screen and those who could read read together. I then read it to them in the Jamaican language. The whole atmosphere in the room changed. The people began to respond in ways I had never seen people respond to Scripture reading before. It was as if they had entered the story themselves. One young man exclaimed: “That was much clearer!” And a conversation about how difficult it often was for them to understand the English versions ensued. In the midst of it, an older woman made a statement that changed my life forever. She explained: “For me, the English was just words on a page; but with the Patwa, I could see everything vividly! I don’t think in English. I think in Patwa. Every time I hear something in English I have to take time to process it. While I am doing that, a lot of things are passing me by!” I was floored by this revelation. I knew exactly how it felt to try to function in an environment where my first language - English - is not spoken. I’ve had to worship in French, Djula, Moore, and Spanish. Even though I am a trained teacher of Spanish,
worshiping in that language still left me in the dark for a large portion of the time. My heart was broken to think that for all these centuries that the church has been operating in Jamaica, we have not been using the language that the majority of persons are most comfortable functioning in. And how can we disciple a nation in a language that the majority of people do not think in? This experience is what God used to birth CREW 40:4 - an organization designed to promote love and unity in corporate worship spaces by producing and modeling culturally relevant expressions of worship. Here are some of the things we have done since our registration as a non-profit organization in June 2010 • Staged the OLiC Project to reduce stigma and discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS while hosting South African HIV Activist and Gospel Artist Musa Njoko in 2011 • Hosted Arts for a Better Future in collaboration with the Jamaica Theological Seminary and the International Council for Ethnodoxologists in 2014 • Collaborated with JTS to stage the first Christian Reggae Symposium in 2018 • Visited schools, churches and other spaces with culturally relevant ministry • Hosted WE DiP - a series of gatherings for literary, visual
and performing artists and the people who support them. (WE DiP is an acronym for Worship, Encouragement, Discussion, Information & Prayer • Formed a team of performing artists comprised mainly of students from JTS, UWI and Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts • Established an online presence on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter & Instagram, primarily focused on readings from the Jamaican New Testament • Collaborated with the founder to produce the first two albums in the Kom Mek Wi Worship series, providing Jamaican worship songs for the Jamaican worshippers. CREW 40:4 is looking forward to becoming an ever-expanding enthusiastic diverse tribe of Christfollowers who are both worshipping and recruiting and discipling worshippers of Yahweh and His Son Jesus Christ, acknowledging all of who He is with all of who we are. If you are interested in becoming a part of the movement, please contact us at crewfortyfour@ gmail.com. p Contact us for: Workshops, Conferences and Presentations Email: crewfortyfour@gmail.com Telephone: 1 876 820 0258 by Jo-Ann Richards Goffe Ethnodoxologist, Exec. Director - CREW 40:4
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CREW 40:4 PERFORMING ARTS TEAM SEASON 1 2017 - 2018 Keyboards
Kevan Williams, Alex Martin-Blanken (substitute)
Bass Guitar
Franklyn ‘Franco’ Constantine; Marc-Antony Banton (substitute)
Lead Guitar
Fitz Bennett
Djembe
Nora-Gaye Banton
Drums/Djembe Najee Stewart Violin
Kamoy Gordon
Sopranos
Danelle Parkes, Jaredine Cole, Shanice Steve
Altos
Karen Morrison (Bryck Rose), Nicole Nichol
Tenors
Jovane Blagrove, Joel Holding
Dancer
Shavine Jones
Videographer
Joshua Celli/Mwando Townsend
Photographer
Marcel Goffe
Consultant
Denise Simpson
Spicy Grove Youth Center
About Us
we are impacting our community one life at a time
Spicy Grove Youth Center, a beacon of hope nestled within several communities of Oracabessa, St. Mary has been engaging youth, children and their families since 2011, through innovative and transformational programmes.
Contact Us 876 975-3156, www.spicygrove.com danny@spicygrove.org Spicy Grove Youth Center, Oracabessa P.O., St. Mary
30 | KW Magazine March 2019
Our Programs
1. Child Sponsorship to support education and their total development
2. Christian discipleship through Bible clubs,
Camp Ministries and Youth ‘Engage’ Sessions
3. Outreach through short term overseas Mission Teams
4. Partnership with food for the Poor Ja in the provision of basic needs
5. College Student Support and internship
March 2019 KW Magazine | 31
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Independent gospel recording artist and noted Ethnomusicologist Jo-Ann Richards on October 1, 2017 released her sophomore album, the follow up to her successful debut album “Kom Mek Wi Worship”. The new work “Kom Mek Wi Worship 2 – Di Revilieshan” is a further tribute to Jamaican culture, recorded almost completely in Patwa and utilizing traditional forms of Jamaican music such as mento, roots reggae and dancehall. The standout remix of the title track by virtuoso musician, Yekengale (formerly known as Stephen Miller) transforms the track from lighthearted reggae to a deep Nyabinghi worship experience. “Jo-Ann has quietly but firmly established herself as one of the few gospel artists who truly pays highest homage, not only to our God, but also to the good gifts he has generously given to us here on this island; gifts like our colourful, captivating culture, tenacious people and the unmistakable ways we express ourselves and praise our Creator” stated noted Jamaican writer, educator and actor Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis. March 2019 KW Magazine | 33
A sought-after Gospel singer since her early teens when she sang with Geoffrey Shields’ Chorale, Jo-Ann joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in 2001. Her first assignment in Burkina Faso, West Africa as an ethnomusicologist opened her eyes to the urgent need for more songs for the Jamaican worship experience - songs that use Jamaican languages and music genres. “I wanted to showcase how we can create our own worship experience, one that is entirely ours and not influenced by other cultures, and able to be embraced by speakers of what I call our heart language” stated Jo-Ann. Songs like Notn no de we Gad Kyaahn Du (Nothing is Impossible with God) with its mento rhythm and Im a di Wie (He is the Way) with a solid one drop reggae beat are strong favorites from the first album in the series - Kom Mek Wi Worship - and can be heard ringing out in congregational settings. The 13-track album features five talented Jamaican producers:-Ariff Butler, Sheldon Bernard, Alexander Martin-Blanken, Fitzroy ‘Prime Time’ Green and Yekengale, and features live instruments in almost every track: string quartet, trumpet, shofar, flute and going even as far afield as the sitar from India and the balafon from
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Burkina Faso. As in the first in the series, songs written by other composers, as well as collabs, are included. Collaborations include the award winning reggae artiste, K Vibes Bryck Rose (Karen Morrison) with her first song on a gospel album and newcomer, hard-hitting DJ artiste and theology student, Niiko Bless (Nicholas Smith) and versatile singer/ songwriter, Jovane Blagrove, who is known to provide background vocals for Jamaican gospel greats such as:Joan Flemming, Jermaine Edwards and Kevin Downswell. Crew 40:4’s performing arts team provided background vocals across the album. Kom Mek Wi Worship 2: Di Revilieshan, is available in stores in Jamaica. Outlets include Source of Light and Bible Society in Hagley Park Plaza, Books & CDs in the NMIA and Craft Cottage. It is also available on the CD Baby website www.cdbaby.com/ cd/joannfaithrichards4), iTunes, Amazon, Spotify etc. For more information on the work and ministry of Jo-Ann Faith Richards visit her ministry’s website at www. crew40-4.com. Contact her for bookings at crewfortyfour@gmail. com p
PSALM 151
Praise di Sovereign Lord Praise HIM as mawning light Praise HIM when midday sun high Praise HIM Jesus di Christ Praise HIM all when yuh ah sleep Praise HIM wedda yuh ah skin teet ar ah weep Praise HIM even when yuh ah dream Love HIM to praises Praise HIM to di four corners of di worl’ Praise HIM man, woman, bwoy an girl Praise HIM wid di drum and bass Praise HIM wid dub poetry and reggae Praise HIM pon tagged an myspace Praise HIM by text an e-mail Praise HIM pon Facebook and MSN Praise HIM by carrier pigeon an registered mail Praise di Lawd mi seh! Praise HIM cause HIM save yuh Praise HIM cause HIM save yuh bredda an sista to Praise HIM cause Him jus is Praise HIM wid open hand an clench fists Praise HIM at school Praise HIM inna di workplace Praise HIM at the gym Praise HIM inna inna and outer space Praise HIM without ceasing! Praise HIM wid di ola yuh heart Praise HIM wid di ola yuh mind Praise HIM wid di ola yuh soul Praise HIM wid di ola yuh strength Evryting weh have breath mus praise Yahweh! Praise JAH and live! Praise HIM! Praise HIM! Praise HIM! © Austin G. Henry
March 2019 KW Magazine | 35
uestions
with NEW RELEASE!
KW
K Vibes/Bryck Rose releases new single...
36 | KW Magazine March 2019
K a r e n Morrison, aka K Vibes, but more recently on the stage as Bryck Rose, released her latest single in July 2018 called Chat mi Patwa. Bryck Rose was born and raised in Brooklyn New York, to Jamaican parents. The language and culture of Jamaica has always been closer to her heart than the language and culture of her birth country. We met Karen through Social Media and she embraced us and the CREW 40:4 team with ‘one love’ and ‘one heart’. Here is her account of her development in gospel music and why she chose to write this song, which is a celebration of the heart language of the Jamaican people.
1
What is the very first song you released and where was it produced?
My first song released was Raggamuffin Soldier on the Digital English label in 1996.
2
In 2014 your music career appeared ready to take off on a different level when your song Reggae Music I Am, produced by the legendary King
Jammy’s, made it to #1 on the New York City’s Foundation Network Chart. Was it before or after this that you made a commitment to Jesus Christ? It was after
3
Please tell us a little about your encounter with Jesus.
I grew up in a Christian household where prayer and church was a way of life. In 2016, because of God’s grace and mercy, I rededicated my life to the Lord.
4
What is it that attracted you to CREW 40:4?
What attracted me to CREW 40:4 was the worship. It felt good to be with like minded people who worshiped in language I often used in my own songs. I wanted to be around people who worshiped Jesus Christ. I had so long been out in the world, I needed a change.
5
After you made your commitment to Jesus Christ, did your love for reggae music change? Why or why not? My love for Reggae Music has changed only for the fact that it now has to be totally positive with a positive message. It has it’s time and place. March 2019 KW Magazine | 37
6
Many Jamaicans are seeking to go overseas for ‘a better life’. You, on the other hand, are proud to declare that having been born in the US, you are now a fully naturalized citizen of Jamaica. Why did you do this? I always wanted to live in Jamaica. I was deciding on making a move to Europe, California or Jamaica. I happened to meet my husband here and that was my deciding factor.
7
Here in Jamaica, we are still struggling with whether or not we should use our Jamaican language, especially in certain settings. In the midst of this, here you are releasing a song celebrating that language! What was your motivation for this, and how do you see it connecting with your desire for Christian ministry? Besides being a singer, I am also a DJ. I chat lyrics. In Reggae music, this is done in our language, Patwa. I have been using it for quite some time being in the music business so it was not much of a challenge for me. Sometimes I sing in regular English then in the middle of the song I may break out in Patwa. It is just a feel. People seem to like it. I don’t really try, I just let it flow. I think it can be useful in Christian ministry because worship is not limited.
8
What impact do you hope Chat Mi Patwa will have on Jamaican people at home and abroad? 38 | KW Magazine March 2019
I hope that Chat Mi Patwa will educate, release tensions of the use of Patwa, connect bridges and most of all make people smile and have fun with the language. I am proud of this language that is a unique part of my heritage. Proud to share it.
9
I was so honored to have you write most of the lyrics for the first track on the Kom Mek Wi Worship 2 album. Had you written any gospel songs before this? Yes, I had written some Gospel, at least what other people told me was gospel. They have not yet been released.
10
What plans do you have to enter deeper into the gospel music sphere? I will continue to write and see where God leads me. For me, good music composition is a must. I also want the quality to go out with the message. We should honor the Lord with our best.
11
The final question - Is there a Bible verse or passage that you consider to be your life verse/passage? Yes, Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”KJV p
Launching a new project? Tell us about it. Contact KW Magazine for 11 Questions with Jo-Ann Richards-Goffe.
NO ONE CAN COMPARE TO US!
E-mail: romacservicesltd@yahoo.com / Website: www.romacservices.com March 2019 KW Magazine | 39
by Janice Wilson
Transformational Speaker, Author, Teacher
KIDS CREW Episode 1: Kom Mek Wi Worship! Characters: • Aunty Marcia - Sunday school Teacher - in a wheelchair • Jamie 10 yr old - can dance & play drums • Alicia 9 yr old - can write stories • Nicolette 8 yr old - can sing • Ricardo 9 yr old - can draw
dem bag juice and head towards di Sunday school class. As dem reach iin, dem separate. Nicolette go sidong beside her friend Alicia, and Ricardo go beside Jamie. Dem always sidong beside each other ina Sunday school.
One Sunday as church about fi start, Aunty Marcia ring di bell. Yu si when di bell ring, everybody know say dem fi find dem Sunday school class right away.
Aunty Marcia pray, den she remind dem dat dem a go use di class time fi practice fi di play wa dem a go act fi rally July 21st. Before dem coulda even start, Pastor Chisholm sen call Aunty Marcia fi ask her sopm.
Nicolette and Ricardo hurry up drink 40 | KW Magazine March 2019
Aunty Marcia couldn’t walk from di
accident laas year so is a wheelchair she move roun ina. As Aunty Marcia come outa di room, Jamie start knock wahn drum ina di kaana. Same time Alicia start complain say she kyaahn tek di noise so it better dem gwaan practice fi rally. Nicolette tek out her Sunday school book and remind dem wa di play name. It name Kom Mek Wi Worship.
dem naa idle, she stay a di door an gwaan listen secretly. Nicolette start read wa she have in her book pan worship. Shi say “Worship is like when you a praise God - when yu show God say yu love Him an when yu do tingz fi show God say yu thankful fi all a wa Him give yu.”
“Foolishness!!” Dat a wa Jamie him Aunty Marcia did come back an bawl out. “When my bredda Jovane reach di door but because she hear say him a worship a dance mi see like dem a do sopm worthwhile an him a dance!” March 2019 KW Magazine | 41
*Jovane dances* Nicolette turn to him an say “Mek mi finish no?! Aunty Marcia did tell wi say when we a worship God we can also use wi talent fi bring Him glory. But yu wouldn’t know dat cause yu eva a hide outa door from class like yu get security wuk!”
dem know say him no know notn bout worship so him jus a do what him know fi du bes an dat a draw. Nicolette turn to him an say “But if yu did a listen yu woulda hear when wi say yu can use yu talent fi worship God. Yu no aft act ina di play but yu can draw Bible story fi di baby dem ina Sister Donna Sunday school class. Dem like pretty pikcha.”
All dis time dem a talk Ricardo naa pay dem no mind. Him have a pencil a draw over di painting of Jesus an Dem continue talk. Aunty Marcia some children wa heng up pon di wall. was behind di door outside still a Nicolette an Alicia start complain listen. how him naa participate. Him jus mek 42 | KW Magazine March 2019
Ricardo say “Aaright mi can draw. Jamie can dance. Alicia can write story good, and Nicolette can sing. Wi a go do a good play so fi wi Sunday school class can win di prize and mek God happy se wi use wi talent fi bring Him glory.” Di bell ring fi Sunday school over. Aunty Marcia push di door and smile an say “Unu kom; kom mek wi go worship!”
THE END March 2019 KW Magazine | 43
masculine knee feminine knee rich knee poor knee pastor knee sinner knee atheist knee agnostic knee Muslim knee Jews knee Christian knee Andrew knee Peter knee Donald knee Vladimir knee Kim knee Theresa knee Orange knee Green knee knock-knee bow-legged knee your knee my knee all knee every knee will have to bow to God and every tongue confess that Jesus the Christ is Lord.
every kn ee
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Š Austin G. Henry
JO-ANN FAITH RICHARDS
Singer/Songwriter, Author, Transformational Speaker, Ethnodoxologist. PASSIONATE DELIVERY ON TOPICS SUCH AS: - Church Music & Cultural Identity - Worship & Social Justice - How to Read The Jamaican New Testament PRESENTATIONS INCLUDE:
Real-life stories, songs in Jamaican language and music, as well as readings from the Jamaican New Testament. AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL BOOKINGS contact Jo-Ann @ crewfortyfour@gmail.com or 876 • 820 • 0258 www.joannfaithrichards.com
Connect with us
March 2019 KW Magazine | 45
The Wycliffe Legacy A Worthy Advocacy for Authentic Worship and Living
“so, if your God is so great... how come he doesn’t know my language!?” 46 | KW Magazine March 2019
T
he story of the famous AngloCatholic scholar and cleric, John Wycliffe, is worth telling again, when sharing the Wycliffe Bible Translators (WBT) early beginnings. He lived from 1320 to 1384 and was credited with being the first to translate the Bible into the English language. He did this out of a deep concern for the spiritual plight of common people in English peasantry. John Wycliffe’s work instigated a grass roots uprising against the established Church, demanding authentic worship.
His translation later made up most of the King James Bible, authorized in1604. The Church of England was so upset because of Wycliffe’s appeal and ministry to the peasantry, that they dug up his bones 30 years after his death and publicly burnt them, just to spite him. Why? Back then, Latin, known then as the “language of God” was the only language recognized, valued and relevant in church and society. We now know that all languages are God’s creation and He speaks them all. About 500 plus years later, WBT came about when its founder William Cameron Townsend, discovered that selling Spanish Bibles to native Guatemalan Indians was nowhere near good enough, when his Indian guide asked him: “so, if your God is so great... how come he doesn’t know my language!?” That resulted in a movement that would significantly change the church in her missions work across nations. Seventy years later, Wycliffe Caribbean, which was launched in 1992, is part of well over 6,000 Wycliffe Global Alliance missionaries, working in language programs on every continent, embracing the 1999- Vision 2025, stating that “considering the status of over 3,000 languages in great need, and the fact that at the rate we do missions, it would take 150 years to meet this translation need, we will work faster, smarter, in partnerships with churches,
institutions and individuals, to see that a project begins for every language that needs it, by the year 2025.” We have made major progress since then and one great achievement is the completion of the largest translation project ever done in the western hemisphere - the Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment (JNT), dedicated in December 2012. A three-part partnership was negotiated by Wycliffe Caribbean, Bible Society of the West Indies and the Jamaican Language Unit. Wycliffe Caribbean’s main interest is to see the JNT becoming widely used within Jamaican society and church, at home and abroad. Also, to facilitate what we refer to as authentic literacy among all Jamaicans. We believe authentic literacy, meaningful literacy in the heart language, will produce authentic worship, authentic non-pretentious lifestyles, resulting in authentic sustainable community and socioeconomic development. Hey, call me a dreamer but the principles involved suggest that this is real and achievable. We recognize that this is also the vision and mission of CREW 40:4, so a CREW 40:4 mi a se! p by John O. Roomes Executive Director, Wycliffe Bible Translators Caribbean. March 2019 KW Magazine | 47
Waiting and Working 48 |KW Magazine March 2019
W
aiting may seem like a denial or a delay, but God is still in the business of meeting the needs of those who are waiting for His divine intervention, depending on each person’s mannerism while waiting. This is why waiting and working towards your expectations comes in as the best way to wait in life. Permit me to share my story. I started music in 1992 even when purpose wasn’t understood, and by 1995 I got saved by God’s grace. This encounter changed my life and the message of my music, but my style of music (reggae) remained the same because the Lord had need of it. You are still useful to God even though you are waiting for something. After six albums from 1998, in year 2007 the Lord said to me. “ Reggae music is my music, do it well. If you do it well, the rich will come and the poor will come.” I asked, “How Lord?” because deep within me lay the fear of being criticised and classified here in Africa and beyond, by many who believed Reggae is just for groups ‘out there’. Secondly, the Lord said to me. “What happened to reggae music is like the parable of the sower who went to his field and sowed good seed, but while men slept his enemy came to that field and
sowed tares among the wheat and went his way, leading to the errors we see today.” In Gen. 7:2-15 He said to me, “Noah was instructed to take into the Ark (vs. 3) male and female to keep the species alive on the earth and (in v 15) they went into the Ark to Noah in twos all flesh in which is the breath of life to preserve a future for all.” Today, God is still interested in redeeming and meeting the needs of mankind from every tribe, tongue, people and nations... (Rev. 5:9). This means that every language, every culture and every genre of music is relevant to God and the gospel of His kingdom. Again, I asked the Lord, “Why also did you take the unclean into the Ark?” (Acts 10:13) He said to me “Because I had the plan to clean up the unclean in the future.” There is hope for you in God! This revelation gave me the courage to keep working while waiting for His ultimate glory. So while you are waiting, ask the right questions, seek the right answers from the right source because, you are still useful to God. Don’t sleep off while waiting. Keep working while waiting! p by Lucy Awe Peters aka Mama Lucee, Nigerian reggae gospel artiste March 2019 KW Magazine | 49
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