Dancehall reggae has had a huge impact on the world. It is a very powerful tool for exploring African culture and identity and European imperialism. It has fantastic potential to challenge Europes cultuial dominance.

Mis-information has been used to control the worlds understanding of African people since Europe turned its imperialist gaze on the continent in the C16. This mis-information has been passed on to the world via European education, political and economic sytems that have been growing in strength over the centuries untill today when they effectively control the planet. Today the average black person is probably as ignorant of African issues as the average white person.

This ignorance has developed into fear and mistrust. African people are actully prejudice against African culture. The old adage "If you're white you're all right. If you're brown stick around. If you're black stay back." needs ammending. It should read "If you're European you're all right. If you're Eurocentric stick around. If you're African stay back." It loses a lot of the poetry but is more relevant.

 

 In so many aspects life today we value the European, popularise the Eurocentric and vilify the African.

In religion we value the high churches of European Christianity; we popularise the so-called black churches which are based on these or even branches of these; we vilify African religions such as Voudum or Shango.

In music we value opera and European classical music; we popularise the Eurocentric forms of music such as r'n'b, jazz and any other form popular with the European market; more African forms of soca, reggae and continental music (hi life, juju) always come bottom of the list.

Dancehall reggae suffers from extremely negative press. Much of this originates with black people.

I was once told that a dancehall reggae site would be a waste of time as no one in the genre would have a computer, unless it was stolen, and if they did they wouldn't know how to use it. Even JAMPRO, charged as they are with promoting Jamaica, felt proud to tell me that they had little information on dancehall. As though promoting it would debase the name of the island.

  
   
 
 
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This section offers an opportunity to look seriously at elements of dancehall culture and Arican identity, or just dancehall culture.

I believe that the Harlem Renaissance, Wynton Marselis at the proms, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Jamaican National Dance etc. do more to keep African people down than liberate. It is the belief that European values and ideals are superior that makes Europeans appear superior.