‘The hip-hop movement in Dharavi is inspiring’, says Bob Marley’s granddaughter Donisha Prendergast

The first thing Jamaican actress, filmmaker and activist Donisha Prendergast says about reggae is, “It’s misunderstood as just about dreadlocks and red, blue and green. It’s deeper than mere music.” And one can safely call her an authority on the matter because not only is she the musical and cultural icon Bob Marley’s granddaughter, but also one of the champions of the revival of reggae in recent times. Donisha spoke to us during her recent visit to Mumbai (after the reggae festival Goa Sunsplash 2019) where she held a workshop on hip-hop as well as reggae with the children of The Dharavi Project — the music and dance school that works towards enabling the youth of the slums using art.

HIP-HOP IN THE GHETTO

For Donisha, it didn’t come as a surprise that the youngsters of one of the largest slums in Asia were well-versed in hip-hop and rap. She says, “I had heard about the movement in Dharavi from friends here, but once you experience it for yourself, you know what it’s all about. It was inspiring, encouraging and amazing. Experiences of living in the ghetto have created magnificent art. It’s like a seed trying to find its way to the surface.” 

After the workshops and lectures, there was a session with Bass Foundation Roots, where youngsters recited verses the way it was done in the ’60s and ’70s before the birth of hip-hop. 

CONNECTING DOTS THROUGH ART

Donisha has chosen filmmaking to bring about change in the society. She explained, “At its core, reggae has a sociopolitical message of equal rights and justice for all. It’s particularly important to connect those dots and not be ignorant or negligent when it comes to being a better human being,” adds the poet and dancer. In that essence, she points out that there are many parallels between what’s happening in Dharavi and the movements in Jamaica. “It seemed familiar in an esoteric way. Hip-hop has roots in reggae and here I was in the heart of a city in Asia connecting two places through it,” mentions the versatile artiste.

REVIVAL OF REGGAE

Even though hip-hop and rap have dominated the music industry for years, Donisha has been part of the vibration that has been dubbed as reggae revival in recent years. “Before artistes like Kabaka Pyramid or Proteje became international faces, we were doing work in Jamaican inner-cities. For instance, Kabaka has been doing yoga in the ghetto where only thugs and gangsters live. That broadens the scope of the genre to make social change. That’s why I said I see parallels here — to rebel against the system by not destroying it but using it as a tool to governance, build a community, empower each other and not just be ‘successful’. The revival goes deeper than just music to the heart of what it represents,” she explains.

Donisha Prendergast (in orange jacket) with the kids from Dharavi

CARRYING FORWARD A LEGACY

Donisha is carrying forward her illustrious grandfather Bob Marley’s legacy as a musician as well as a Rastafarian (Rastafari is an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s.) She admits that it gets taxing due to constant travelling and she misses out on family time as well as important occasions. “At the same time, I don’t think I’d want to be giving my youth to anything else at this point. I don’t aspire to do things that the society expects of me. I’m not waiting to be successful because we already are when it comes to practising greater humanity. That’s success as far as I am concerned,” the 34-year-old artiste adds. Ask her what her favourite song by Bob is and she instantly sings, “Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights...”, the song by the same name from the 1973 album Burnin’. Africa Unite (Survival, 1979) is another track that she likes, both in line with the philosophy of reggae.

MORE PROJECTS

While here, Donisha shot for a documentary on the museum, Temple of Bob Marley, dedicated to the Rastafari, in Mahim. Back home in Jamaica, she’s working on a project called We Will Rise Together where they are renovating a school along with one in Ghana. “We go wherever the energy takes us. We’re trying to build a bridge between Jamaica and India and anywhere in the world with a shared history. We, as former colonies, have a lot in common.”

As a parting shot, she tells us that Bob Marley’s son Stephen Marley and his Ghetto Youths Foundation made the collaboration with the Dharavi Project possible. Even from Jamaica, she will continue to work with the initiative from Mumbai. “Now that I have new friends here, India will be a part of my travels,” she concludes.