Welcome to my blog post! My name is Jesse Leon and I’m a First-Gen POSSE Scholar for Bucknell’s Class of 2028.
Starting in September of this year, working at the Griot Institute has allowed me, as a freshman, the opportunity to indulge in extensive research on the Caribbean through reading books such as “Caribbean Popular Culture” by John A. Lent and “The African-Caribbean Worldview and the Making of Caribbean Society” by Horace Levy. My main focuses are on how popular culture and music has impacted aspects of the region over time not only artistically but also politically and socially as well. It also expands on how music was popular and signified more than just music in different parts such as the French Islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, Dominica, and of course, the known countries of Barbados and Jamaica. Using this research, I hope to use a website that is accessible to all of you so that many may be able to access easy information about popular culture and music in the Caribbean. As well as learning what music came from these countries, you will gain an understanding of how music played an important role in politics in many movements such as the Rastafarian Movement, Zouk Movement, Antillanite Movement, and the Black Power Movement. I feel this information is important to educate ourselves on as it allows us to open our minds to different cultures and let us view how music impacts different parts of the world.
When researching, I found that music was used as a sense of empowerment and strength for the Caribbean. That is the same message I hope to achieve when my readers come across this website, to allow them to feel the emotion and journey of music and culture in the Caribbean. As we come to a close, I want to express my deepest gratitude to you for reading my blog as it is my first. It is something that I’ve never done before and am excited to see where it will take me as I progress. Thank you again and have an amazing rest of your day!
—Jesse Leon ’28