French reggae singer relays peace message<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As it is indisputable that many French people have long resented
\nAmerican cultural imperialism, it was hardly surprising that an
\nartist they wanted to perform during the French Festival here is
\nsomeone who plays reggae, a genre that champions human
\nemancipation and above all, did not originate on American soil.<\/p>\n
French reggae singer Sergent Garcia accomplished that very
\nmission during a joyful concert staged by the French Cultural
\nCenter (CCF) on Thursday last week.<\/p>\n
Garcia showed that a musical concert was not merely
\nentertainment; he transformed the medium to transmit the message
\nof love, camaraderie, peace and even revolution -- all ideals
\nthat have long been promoted by reggae purveyors, Bob Marley
\namong them.<\/p>\n
Playing in a reggae style he termed salsamuffin -- a mix of
\nsalsa, rumba, ragga, ska and Cuban-jazz -- Garcia gave a night to
\nremember for concertgoers, even for those who were not well
\nacquainted with the Jamaican-born musical genre.<\/p>\n
The concert was also another testament that music knows no
\nbarriers, including language. Concertgoers ecstatically danced to
\nthe songs, regardless of their French and Spanish lyrics.<\/p>\n
Garcia, who looked appeared joyful during the concert, gave
\ninstructions in English to the audience on how to up the ante.
\nAnd if Terima Kasih Jakarta was considered proper Indonesian, the
\nconcert might have broken a new record as a single musical
\nperformance delivered in four languages.<\/p>\n
\"This song goes to people in Latin America, who fight for
\ntheir rights,\" Gracia said, before delivering a spirited
\nrendition of Que Palique, a standard reggae tune with a signature
\none-note guitar strummed accompaniment.<\/p>\n
Que Palique was the first politically charged song performed
\nbefore antiwar chants Stop Da War and Revolution, which contains
\na sampler from the Clash's Revolution Rock.<\/p>\n
Technically, the concert had little to offer. Garcia's singing
\n-- or rapping to be exact -- was backed by a sequencer and a live
\ndrum playing by Ivan Darroman Montoya, an energetic drummer who
\nsingle-handedly executed the rhythm section.<\/p>\n
But the music spoke for itself.<\/p>\n
A bond between the performers and the audience transpired when
\nGarcia and his three backup singers invited a handful of
\nconcertgoers -- including two photographers who later freely took
\npictures of them -- to climb on stage and dance to their songs.<\/p>\n
Later, Garcia started a human chain that he led inside Balai
\nSarbini concert hall at The Plaza Semanggi, encircling those
\nconcertgoers who opted to stay in their seats.<\/p>\n
After such a rapturous show, concertgoers refused to go home
\neven after the music was over.<\/p>\n
Garcia and his crew returned to the stage to deliver an encore
\nthat was almost equivalent to staging another show.<\/p>\n
A Parisian of Spanish descent, Garcia is a household name in
\nFrance and the Spanish-speaking world after releasing four
\nalbums, Viva El Sargento in 1997, Un Poquito Quema'O (1999), Sin
\nFronteras (2001) and La Semilla Escondida (2004).<\/p>\n
Garcia was a member of punk band Ludwig Von 88 before he
\nembraced reggae. He said that punk was a manifestation of
\n\"juvenile delinquency\".<\/p>\n
\"It was just part of growing up,\" he said before the concert.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/french-reggae-singer-relays-peace-message-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }