by Ashley Oliver
Internationally acclaimed Jamaican reggae artiste Ventrice Morgan, aka Queen Ifrica, expressed her views on the state of African peoples throughout the diaspora and how her music aims to bridge a racial and cultural gap within the Caribbean.
Ifrica is the daughter of reggae legend Derrick Morgan and she is also a mother of three. She attributed her success as a female conscious singer to her strong belief in Rastafarianism and seeing positivity in every dull situation.
Following her recent performance in the Grand Stand, Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, at the “Liberation—Songs of Freedom” Emancipation concert, the Montego Bay native noted that racial discrimination is still prevalent within the Caribbean.
Ifrica believes unification is an integral part of amelioration in the Afro-Caribbean community.
“(There is) lack of self-awareness and self-love,” said Ifrica. “While slavery had an impact on society, 500 years later we are still blaming the slave masters, but a closer look reveals that it's a lack of unity among the black race and it's no longer a problem caused by slavery… black people need to look at themselves and how we develop our black communities.”
Ironically, Ifrica's stage name derives from her family's deep perception of African culture.
She said, “Women are not labelled lady or miss, she's called empress [or] queen. The name Ifrica came from my mother… she gave me the name Africa because she thought my face resembled the shape of the map of Africa. However, when I went to live with her, everyone in the household had a name beginning with the letter I so they decided to drop the ‘A' in my name which was initially Africa and replaced it with the letter I.”
The pacifying beats for her music are juxtaposed with her strident lyrics. Ifrica described herself as a social worker for music.
“[I] use music as my tool,” she noted. “Music is the greatest weapon that can be used to impact any change that we want in society. While we see persons using music to promote a lot of stuff, they can tap into the real beauty of how to use music to help young people to understand themselves more.”
A faithful listener of Ifrica, Santa Cruz resident, Winton Bobb, 30, said he feels spiritually elevated while listening to her lyrics.
“She speaks to your soul,” Bobb said as he chuckled and shook his head. “Ifrica is a strong woman who speaks up for people who can't. Being a Rasta might have helped her be more conscious of the problems in society, but her being herself is what makes the lyrics so real.”
In spite of being the daughter of an acclaimed reggae artiste, Ifrica does not try to emulate him. Instead, she is inspired by a vast spectrum of soul artistes.
She adds, “Garnett Silk is number one. When I heard him the first time it was a spiritual connection, it was so real and natural and I could identify with that. Miriam Makeba from Africa, Stevie Wonder is always a favourite and Bob Marley. For people it's cliché but for me, it's the spirituality that [Marley] represented [and] breaking down barriers and boundaries where the struggles of human beings existed.”
For Diego Martin resident Omari Joseph, 24, Ifrica's authenticity is fundamental for social cognizance, albeit jarring.
“The messages her songs convey are important,” Joseph exclaims. “But at the same time when you visualise [the lyrics] it's kinda disturbing and shaky in my mind. But maybe that's what we need to push the community forward.”
Ifrica expressed hope that Trinidad and Tobago would end its racial division that continues to plague the nation.
“I would love for Trinidadians to put a serious stop to racism that is still lingering around. We all came to the Caribbean as slaves, whether indentured or working in the fields. We all came here against our will and we ended up becoming victorious by getting our independence. The (political) leaders [need] to seriously look at educating our young people and help them understand that the Almighty wanted co-existence on Earth. That's why [Almighty] made so many different races and cultures.”
Internationally acclaimed Jamaican reggae artiste Ventrice Morgan, aka Queen Ifrica, expressed her views on the state of African peoples throughout the diaspora and how her music aims to bridge a racial and cultural gap within the Caribbean.
Ifrica is the daughter of reggae legend Derrick Morgan and she is also a mother of three. She attributed her success as a female conscious singer to her strong belief in Rastafarianism and seeing positivity in every dull situation.
Following her recent performance in the Grand Stand, Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, at the “Liberation—Songs of Freedom” Emancipation concert, the Montego Bay native noted that racial discrimination is still prevalent within the Caribbean.
Ifrica believes unification is an integral part of amelioration in the Afro-Caribbean community.
“(There is) lack of self-awareness and self-love,” said Ifrica. “While slavery had an impact on society, 500 years later we are still blaming the slave masters, but a closer look reveals that it's a lack of unity among the black race and it's no longer a problem caused by slavery… black people need to look at themselves and how we develop our black communities.”
Ironically, Ifrica's stage name derives from her family's deep perception of African culture.
She said, “Women are not labelled lady or miss, she's called empress [or] queen. The name Ifrica came from my mother… she gave me the name Africa because she thought my face resembled the shape of the map of Africa. However, when I went to live with her, everyone in the household had a name beginning with the letter I so they decided to drop the ‘A' in my name which was initially Africa and replaced it with the letter I.”
The pacifying beats for her music are juxtaposed with her strident lyrics. Ifrica described herself as a social worker for music.
“[I] use music as my tool,” she noted. “Music is the greatest weapon that can be used to impact any change that we want in society. While we see persons using music to promote a lot of stuff, they can tap into the real beauty of how to use music to help young people to understand themselves more.”
A faithful listener of Ifrica, Santa Cruz resident, Winton Bobb, 30, said he feels spiritually elevated while listening to her lyrics.
“She speaks to your soul,” Bobb said as he chuckled and shook his head. “Ifrica is a strong woman who speaks up for people who can't. Being a Rasta might have helped her be more conscious of the problems in society, but her being herself is what makes the lyrics so real.”
In spite of being the daughter of an acclaimed reggae artiste, Ifrica does not try to emulate him. Instead, she is inspired by a vast spectrum of soul artistes.
She adds, “Garnett Silk is number one. When I heard him the first time it was a spiritual connection, it was so real and natural and I could identify with that. Miriam Makeba from Africa, Stevie Wonder is always a favourite and Bob Marley. For people it's cliché but for me, it's the spirituality that [Marley] represented [and] breaking down barriers and boundaries where the struggles of human beings existed.”
For Diego Martin resident Omari Joseph, 24, Ifrica's authenticity is fundamental for social cognizance, albeit jarring.
“The messages her songs convey are important,” Joseph exclaims. “But at the same time when you visualise [the lyrics] it's kinda disturbing and shaky in my mind. But maybe that's what we need to push the community forward.”
Ifrica expressed hope that Trinidad and Tobago would end its racial division that continues to plague the nation.
“I would love for Trinidadians to put a serious stop to racism that is still lingering around. We all came to the Caribbean as slaves, whether indentured or working in the fields. We all came here against our will and we ended up becoming victorious by getting our independence. The (political) leaders [need] to seriously look at educating our young people and help them understand that the Almighty wanted co-existence on Earth. That's why [Almighty] made so many different races and cultures.”