INTERVIEW : CAPLETON
Interview by : Benoit Collin
Traduction : S.Jobart / B.Georges
on Sunday, June 19th 2005 - 38 917 views
Right in the middle of the storm of his many cancellations, Capleton made himself particularly available to go back over the whole affair with us. Here he gives his version of events, and dwells at length on the points he considers important: the correct interpretation of words, knowledge of the Jamaican context, and the influence of the Bible.
Interview with the fireman on a burning subject.
Reggaefrance / What is your position on the cancellation of the concert (first the Zénith, then Vitry, on 26 June, ed.)?
Capleton / This isn't the first concert to be cancelled. There is a misinterpretation of the lyrics, people take them literally. Whereas they are metaphors, like that of fire, which we’ve already talked about together (see interview of 10 May 2004). It's a problem of interpreting the meaning of words. This fire is biblical, they are purifying flames. It also serves to fight injustice, inequality, the oppression of humanity. Yuh understand?
Would it all be linked to the misunderstanding of ''fire''?
Exactly, it's an interpretation of a word spoken in patois, a dialect... You can't translate these words literally.
You explained to us that you burn the sin more than the sinner.
Exactly, that's what I mean, my fight is directed at all the oppressors of the system, we fight against murderers, social injustice, poverty...
Do you think the Bible is always right?
I'm not saying that, you know, we grew up with the Bible, it brings us serenity. We grew up in Church, with the Bible... and the Bible condemns Sodom and Gomorrah, those two sinful cities. That's why we sing about it.
But in Leviticus, you also find the legitimation of slavery...
Yes, it's a bit contradictory. You can read the Bible and find the truth in it, your truth. It's strictly personal, nobody said to do everything the Bible says. I'm just saying that a man should read the Bible with an open mind, a pure heart and conscience, and then he will be able to find the truth he is looking for. It's something you adapt.
The associations demanded apologies...
...There are no apologies, it's a misinterpretation!
They asked for apologies and you didn't give them, why?
I think it's immoral. You can't violate people's rights. If a man thinks it's dirty for a man to love another, can you go against his opinions? You know, it's also a fight against music and against its power. Last year, we did a festival at Bercy, it was sold out, and then another in Germany. And this year all this propaganda started. But it's not like that and wise men understand it. Remember, Bob Marley used the word ''burn'', Jacob Miller too, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Burning Spear, Culture and Toots & the Maytals, you see. What I'm saying is that when it was icons or pioneers using the same terms, they were considered metaphors; why would it be literal when it comes to Sizzla, Capleton and other artists? It's truly a fight.
With the pressure Jamaica is under, do you think the laws could change?
I don’t know... I don’t think the laws can change, these laws date from slavery, we grew up with them. Slavery, the plantations, it all stems from a system.... no, I don’t think it can change just like that.
No man can condemn another, man condemns himself by his actions, by his words. I can't let men destroy themselves. If you want to fight against righteousness, you want to fight against something positive. Capleton's money goes to hospitals, schools, to educate young people, to help people on the street who need it. So if you stop me from putting money in my pocket, you should also know that many people, many suffering people, depend on that money too. This whole business, these concert cancellations, is first of all an attack on our wallet.
Relations are becoming more and more tense in Europe, could you stop coming there?
(His manager joins the discussion): That's what we're trying to clarify. You must pass on a message to anyone who misinterprets the lyrics, and tell them that Capleton's lyrics are wholesome. That's what we have to clarify. These lyrics don't call for killing gays and lesbians. It's not about Europe. It's about lies being told, which affect our music.
(Capleton continues:) I won't let the gay leagues stop me from coming to Europe when fans want to see me, I won't say ''OK, forget Europe, forget France''. It's good against evil.
We've been fighting for a long time, we're not going to give up. We fight for uprightness and the uplifting of the spirit, for all people, not only for Black people, but for all nations. This music brings together people from all backgrounds. That's what it's about: Uplifment, righteousness, salvation, redemption, repatriation, liberation, self esteem, self awareness, self reliance, self control...
You agreed to stop singing your anti-homosexual songs on stage...
Yes, regarding the lyrics that have been published for a long time, I must say that I will no longer perform those tracks on stage. Most of them are old tracks from another era. Besides, in Europe, people don’t know me for those titles, they are less in the dancehall style. Songs that come from the heart, the “one beat”, the “nyabingi”, that’s what interests me and that’s what interests people. If gay people come to Capleton’s concerts, they won’t hear any homophobic titles, they won’t hear certain tracks any more. Capleton has thousands of songs and many of them are roots rock reggae
But only a few songs are targeted.
They should try to find out more before jumping on records, drawing hasty conclusions and discriminating against people.
Outrage! and Amnesty and several record companies have already reached an agreement. All this reveals how behind France is, everything has already been settled.
It's a violation of my rights. It's not fair either to the artists or to my country. Behind this music, there is a heritage, a culture, a philosophy, a journey. You can't take a song out of its context, ignoring how and where it was born, and why it became famous. People have to learn.
The Jamaican music scene is very particular...
It's very competitive. Most artists have rivalries between them. When they sing, they're not addressing the whole world, but their friends. You have someone like Bounty Killer, who says he’s a gunman and talks about taking people down. But you have to know that Bounty Killer sees himself as a revolver, and considers his lyrics as bullets.
People don't understand. In Jamaica, when you say ''kill'', it doesn't mean ''to kill'' in the literal sense of the term. An artist will say: ''I just killed a show last night'', meaning he gave a very good performance. He's not going to kill the audience! In Jamaica, when people really kill, they don’t talk about it, they do it… It's propaganda, and the language barrier gives a wrong interpretation. I say you shouldn't take all that literally, they are metaphors. If we agree that a firearm can be used as a metaphor, we have to accept that not everything has a literal meaning. Bob Marley used the same terms. He sang: ''I Shot the Sheriff''. He didn't literally kill him! Why, when Capleton says ''kill'', does it become literal? Bob Marley said ''let’s burn the churches'', he never burned a church. He burned the Church with words, sound and power, by saying the preacher was lying. It wasn't literal.
A last word for the French?
Not only for the French, for everyone. For the younger generations, I call on them to build a better world because they are tomorrow’s hope. I urge them to go to school, to educate themselves, and that also means respecting their parents, their family and others. And never mind if nobody can teach you, you have to seek to know yourself because you can’t lie to yourself! (laughs) More love, more blessings, more prosperity... Keep the fire burning, fire is for the purification.
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