At a glance the song does not reflect anything about racism but if we take a closer look, it is charged with deep concerns on the issue. By seeing it through
the lense of poetic analysis the metaphoric process can happen in contextual level where the specific terms used are based on the social knowledge bound to a
particular audience at a particular time. It also can happen in the level of private qualifier where the context affects the meaning assigned by a listener through
personal or subjective associations. The interpretation is unique to a particular listener.
Dewi Kribo Curly Goddess gives a sense of pride upon an identity as a
black person. Dewi which means goddess is often associated to beauty and power. Commonly a physical beauty is depicted in literature, advertisement, and market
as a lady with long blond hair and a light complexion. It is in this sense that the image of “Dewi Kribo”Curly Goddess appears to be the opposite, beauty is
signified by a lady with curly hair and a dark complexion. It is a sort of counter hegemonic paradigm that The Black Brothers wanted to show. The message of the
song is that black is beautiful as the famous slogan of the Black Power movements of the 1960s would suggest. The tone of the song is happy and
positive. Being black does not mean Papuans are inferior, instead they must be proud and that they are also forward despite of so many prejudices and negativity.
4.1.3. Metaphoric Depiction of Violence in Bob Marley and The Black Brothers Songs
Bob Marley clearly addresses the issue of violence in some of his songs. Among others are Slave Drivers, I shot the sheriff, Burnin and Lootin,
Johnny Was, and Ambush In The Night. They depict the violence in the
community as a consequence of the way society is structured and how it influences everyday life.
Everytime I hear the crack of a whipmy blood runs coldI remember on the slave shipHow they brutalized the very soul Slave Driver
I shot the SheriffBut I swear it was a self-defence I Shot The Sheriff This morning I woke up in a curfewO God I was a prisoner tooCould
not recognize the faces standing over meThey were all dressed in uniforms of brutality Burnin and Lootin
Woman hold her head and cryCause her son has been shot down in the street and diedFrom astray bullet Johnny Was
Ambush in the nightAll guns aiming at meAmbush in the nightThey opened fore on me nowAmbush in the nightProtected by His Majesty
Ambush In The Night
The metaphoric expression used in those songs posses a sense of Jamaican context therefore they tend to be based on contextual and communal qualifier. In
Slave Drivers Bob Marley opens the first verse with The crack of a whip which provokes a historical monologue about slavery. Recalling the brutalized
ancestors in the past has caused his blood runs cold in anger that could possibly lead to explosives respond. However in this song Bob Marley does not try to
provoke Jamaicans to do violence but instead to educate them about contemporary oppression. Here Bob Marley tells the people that they are still in captivity. The
new forms of slavery are poverty, illiteracy, and economic juggernaut working to exploit the poor.
38
These new forms of slavery have long been entrapped peoples mentality. Therefore they have to realize and stand up to make a change.
While another song, I Shot The Sheriff is a typical cowboy movie story. Here Bob Marley portrays a figurative battle between a Sheriff and a person who
38
Dawes, Kwame. Bob Marley Lyrical Genius, p. 65.
shot the Sheriff. Sheriff represents the system while the person who shot the Sheriff stands for ordinary people. Generally the song talks about the prosecution
upon the people by the unjust system. The shooting was a self defense. The song is a warning of a possible explosion as it is shown in lines Every day a bucket
a-go a-wellOne day the bottom will drop out. It is a Jamaican expression which means every time you mess up with me, one day you are going to get it. Bob
Marley admitted that he actually wanted to sing I shot the police, but he could not because he said the government would not allow him to do that. Therefore in
avoiding direct conflicts with the authorities he makes a parable.
39
The act of rebellion is a stance against injustice.
Burnin and Lootin is based on Bob Marleys personal experience living in the ghetto. The police came with guns to raid the area. Everyone living in
Trench Town was a fair game for their raids.
40
The vivid description lies in line they were all dressed in uniform of brutality. In this single line Bob Marley
makes it clear that they are policemen. Their uniform is the symbol of brutality. In this act of dreadful violation Bob Marley is asking how many rivers do we have
to cross? The crossing of rivers is a symbol of freedom. So basically Bob Marley is wondering when all of this brutality will come to an end.
Johnny Was is a narrative song about a tragedy of the death of someone who is innocent. He is the victim of the situation. Here Bob Marley gives a picture
to humanize those who were killed each day on the streets of Kingston.
41
This is a cynicism and irony because it is a typical story by the police when they shot
someone for no apparent reason. The song is a form of a condemnation upon the
39
Dawes, Kwame. Bob Marley Lyrical Genius, p. 80.
40
Ibid, p. 84.
41
Ibid, p. 163.
cold-blooded killing of the innocent. Yet in the end Bob Marley still have hope that despite of this tragedy Jah will never forget them.
Ambush In The Night is based on a personal story of Bob Marley. On December 3
rd
, 1976 Bob Marley was shot by gunmen who broke into his house at Hope Road. No one was killed but this was a serious threat. There were some
possible reasons, but it might because of political tension before the 1976 general election. Here Bob Marley depicts a clear picture of envision from all direction
when he sings all guns aiming at me now. However his faith of Jah guidance made him survived the attempt. He claimed that he was being protected by His
Majesty. While Bob Marley clearly tell stories and condemn the violence, it seems
quite likely that The Black Brothers purposefully obliterate or hide the issue because the possible cause could be the sensitivity of the issue in Indonesia during
the New Order regime of Soeharto. The censorship was so strict that no popular artist nor band would discuss it openly. However, according to the writer there
seems to be one song which implicitly deals with the issue. It is The Black Brothers well known Huembelo. Based on a short interview with the singer
who sang the song himself, the writer comes up with his own interpretation. According to the private qualifier of metaphorical process, the interpretation can
be unique to a particular listener beside its communal aspect which is culturally bounded.
Huembello is a folk song of Kalabra tribes in Sorong, Papua. The song is
wildly sang and performed in punk rock style by The Black Brothers. It has a strong sense of mystic and mystery. The power of the song is not in the meaning
of its lyric but the effects that it causes. Just like mantra, the lyrics are orally spoken without a clear script. Even until today no one can ever sing the song
better the original singer, Abdullah Yunus. According to him the song talks about a howling dog like a wolf.
Generally and specifically in Papua context, the howling of a dog is a sign that bad and restless spirits are ready to haunt and harm the living.
42
In Papua this evil spirit is known as suanggi. Suanggi in a simple translation is a ghost, just like
duppy in Jamaica. A suanggi can be a living person who master the dark crafts and tend to be viciously impetuous and quite devious. Thus in the implied sense
the suanggi is almost always the ghost of the oppressive and brutal authority. Somehow, in a contemporary usage suanggi also specifically refers to the
policemen or military force who dressed in uniform of brutality just like what is depicted in Bob Marleys Burnin and Lootin.
Therefore huembello is a crying and hysteric panic that chaos is ready or in the progress of happening. Police and military raid was a common scene in
Papua during 1960s to 1980s.
43
The infiltration of OPM freedom fighters would lead to numbers of innocent people missing, jailed, tortured and killed just like
what is depicted by Bob Marley in Johnny Was. This political unrest situation has caused thousands of refugees across the boarder of RI and PNG.
44
They seek for an asylum like The Black Brothers themself in 1979.
42
Nasution, Ikhwanuddin. Sistem dan Kode Semiotika Dalam Sastra:Suatu proses komunikasi, LOGAT: Jurnal Ilmiah Bahasa dan Sastra, Universitas Sumatra Utara, Vol IV No 2 2008, p. 111. Web. July 2. 2014.
http:repository.usu.ac.idbitstream123456789167361log-okt2008-4201.pdf.
43
Osborne, Robin. Kibaran Sampari: Gerakan Pembebasan OPM, dan Perang Rahasia di Papua Barat, p. 310.
44
Glazebrook, Diana. Permissive Residents West Papuan Refugees Living in Papua New Guinea, p. 120.
4.1.4. Metaphoric Depiction of Prison in Bob Marleys and The Black Brothers Songs
