Michael Smith, usually referred to as Mikey Smith (14 September 1954 – 17 August 1983), was a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

n dub poet. Along with Linton Kwesi Johnson, and Mutabaruka, he was one of the best-known dub poets. In 1978, Smith represented Jamaica at the 11th World Festival of Youth and Students in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

. His album ''Mi Cyaan Believe It'' includes his poem of the same name. He had left-

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessar ...

leanings and Rastafarian sympathies, and was allegedly murdered by political opponents associated with the right-wing

Jamaica Labour Party The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in sev ...

(JLP) after he had heckled the Jamaican Minister of Culture at a political rally on 17 August 1983.

Life and work

Smith was educated at Kingston College and the St. George's College Extension School. He also studied at the Jamaican School of Drama with Jean "Binta" Breeze and Oku Onuora. Linton Kwesi Johnson released some of Smith's work on his LKJ label. Smith appeared on the BBC television series ''Ebony'' and the BBC also broadcast a documentary based on his association with Johnson. "Mi Cyaan Believe It" is most remembered for Smith's heartfelt phrase: "Laaawwwd - mi cyaan believe it - mi seh - mi cyaan believe it." In 1982, Smith released his debut album and performed extensively in Europe supporting such acts as Gregory Isaacs. He recorded a session for

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, which was broadcast by the BBC on 4 May 1982. He continued to work as a social worker representing prisoners in

Gun Court The Gun Court is the branch of the Jamaican judicial system that tries criminal cases involving firearms. The court was established by Parliament in 1974 to combat rising gun violence, and empowered to try suspects ''in camera'', without a jury. ...

. His outspoken commentary on the "isms and schisms of 'politricks"’ in Jamaica led to his life being cut short. Linton Kwesi Johnson, during a presentation on Smith’s life and work at the second Caribbean Conference on Culture at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the ...

, Mona campus, had the following to say: "The late Jamaican poet, Michael Smith, was to my mind one of the most interesting and original poetic voices to emerge from the English-speaking Caribbean during the last quarter of the 20th century." Johnson, who produced Smith's first and only album in London, also wrote the following in an article for the ''Jamaica Observer'': "In 1978, Michael Smith represented Jamaica at the 11th World Festival of Youth and Students in

. That year saw the release of his first recording, a single titled, 'Word', followed by perhaps his most famous piece 'Mi Cyaan Believe It' and 'Roots'." In 1981, Smith performed in

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estima ...

during CARIFESTA and was filmed by BBC Television performing "Mi Cyaan Believe It" for the documentary ''From

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th cent ...

To Barbados''. In 1982, Smith took London by storm with performances at the Camden Centre for the

International Book Fair of Radical Black and Third World Books The International Book Fair of Radical Black and Third World Books, often referred to as The Black Book Fair, was inaugurated in London, England, in April 1982 and continued until 1995, bringing together a number of Black publishers, intellectuals ...

, and also at

Lambeth Town Hall Lambeth Town Hall, also known as Brixton Town Hall, is a municipal building at the corner of Brixton Hill and Acre Lane, Brixton, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Lambeth London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed buildin ...

in Brixton for "Creation for Liberation". While in Britain, together with Oku Onoura, Smith also did a successful poetry tour and recorded the ''Mi Cyaan Believe It'' album for

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anothe ...

. Smith is the subject of

Peter Ashbourne Peter Ashbourne CD (born 14 July 1950) is a Jamaican musician and composer who has worked in classical music, jazz, and popular forms such as reggae, sometimes with his group The Peter Ashbourne Affair and more recently with the jazz band Ashes. ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

''Reggae Opera Mikey''.Walters, Basil (2012)
Mikey Smith in Opera
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an ...

'', 23 September 2012, retrieved 23 September 2012

Death

Smith was killed following a clash at a political rally at Stony Hill, St. Andrew on 17 August 1983 (

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...

's birthday); After arguing with three men he was hit by a stone thrown by one of them. Linton Kwesi Johnson has recalled how the circumstances of Smith's death are shrouded in controversy:

"As far as I understand the facts, Mikey had attended a political meeting in Stony Hill where the ruling JLP Minister of Education was speaking and ehad heckled her. The following day, he was confronted by three ersons believed to beparty activists, an argument ensued, stones were thrown and Mikey died from a blow to his head."

Kamau Brathwaite The Honourable Edward Kamau Brathwaite, CHB (; 11 May 1930 – 4 February 2020), was a Barbadian poet and academic, widely considered one of the major voices in the Caribbean literary canon.Staff (2011)"Kamau Brathwaite." New York University, D ...

's 1984 book ''History of the Voice'' was dedicated to the memory of Smith and describes him as having been 'stoned to death'.Edward Kamau Brathwaite (1984), History of the Voice. New Beacon Books, 901241555

References

External links

Mi Cyaan Believe It
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Mikey 1954 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Jamaican poets Jamaican male poets Jamaican dub poets 20th-century male writers