Tiggerlion on Forces Of Victory by Linton Kwesi Johnson (6/4/1979)
Linton Kwesi Johnson is often described an intellectual, implying someone rational rather than emotional, more interested in logic than feelings. However, his work is full of rage directed against the oppression, racism and violence he and his community continue to be subject to. He sees poetry as a cultural weapon in the black liberation struggle. His experience is first hand. He was born in rural Jamaica, his mother moved to Britain on Windrush and he and his father followed when Johnson was eleven, settling in Brixton. He attended Tulse Hill School where he joined The British Black Panther Movement and started a poetry group with Rasta Love, creating pieces to be performed aloud, backed by a percussive rhythm. He went on to study sociology at Goldsmiths College, qualifying in 1973.
Johnson’s passion is derived from his cultural background and his purpose is political. He uses Jamaican Patois because it is his authentic language and because its cadence and rhythm has a natural musicality. Its origins in slavery gives it an edge, derived from mainly Creole speakers picking up English from their masters. He worked in a library and wrote articles » Continue Reading.
