"What Is Identity" & "What Role Does the Arts Play In Shaping a National Identity".

NATIONAL IDENTITY & THE ARTS 
journal Entry #1 Entry #1
Kyle Mclaughlin

    IN week 1 of the course, we covered a few topics under the heading "What Is Identity" & "What Role Does the Arts Play In Shaping a National Identity". We also touched texts from Mirror Mirror, Inward Stretch Outward Stretch & Caribbean Cultural Identity: The Case of Jamaica.
    National Identity is basically the deception of a country as a whole, en compressing its culture, traditions, language, and politics. Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions.
    The phrase "Actions Expressed Through the Arts" as explained by Prof. Nettleford is stating from my point of view thatthrough the arts we can tell what is going on and what used to happen in different stages of time and life, it can be used to depict stories to bring change and upliftment etc., the message definatley gets elivered. the Proffesors example on Bob Marley and Rastafari translates to : Bob Marley's musical lyrics carries the doctrines and values of Rastafari, soif one wanted to seek knowledge on the topic of Rastafari, Bob Marley music would be an ideal place to start. My translation of the phrase : the Hon. Lousie Bennett did most of her works in jamaicas native tongue over the long years of her poetic and performing life, "Patois", ( She was also an advocate for making our native tongue to be apart of our own national identity too) so naturally you would listen to or read works done by her if you wanted to know about Jamaica's native tongue.
    Week one was all about learning what is , factors towards national identity and how the message is carried on throughout the generations , and that's was through the arts.