Glenda Simms LAURA FACEY-COOPER'S sculpture 'Redemption Song' which is at Emancipation Park has come under a barrage of criticism from persons who represent a wide cross-section of the Jamaican society. Some of these persons have made their point on talk shows, in letters to the editors of the two daily newspapers, articles and commentaries by seasoned journalists and amateur writers, and the running commentary of the man and woman on the streets.
In analysing the many objections to this work of art, this writer has come to the conclusion that the entire debate on Laura Facey's work is rooted in a phallocentric psyche which panders to the idea that the penis is the most important symbol of patriarchy. If this were not so, why then is so much focus on the penis its size, its appropriateness for public viewing, its impact on the psychological development of children and the message it sends about men in general and black men in particular.
To date, there has been no mention of the woman's genitalia or on her features or her womanhood. Yes, the penis is more obvious but does the invisibility of the vagina make it less important to the debate. Patriarchy has been a tradition of ignoring women and their humanity in all arenas of life.
In The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir commented on the erotic militaristic connotations of the penis as the ultimate symbol of might and power.
In order to counteract the historical preoccupation with the penis, Eve Ensler wrote The Vagina Monologues. This work gave voice and visibility to women and their concerns about denial of their bodies and their woman-spirit.
Perhaps without this stream of consciousness, Laura Facey has presented a sculptural mirror image of the inherent contradictions of the Jamaican society.
TO CLOTHE OR NOT
One contradiction lies in the response to the fact that the figures in 'Redemption Song' were 'unclothed' or just plain 'butt naked'. If Ms. Facey had clothed her statue, whose clothes would she choose? Should it be clothes designed by Puff Daddy or should it be by Versace or Dior? On this subject she would have to very careful. One thing is for sure, she would have to choose designer clothes, because no self-respecting Jamaican would want to be portrayed in home-made or local rags. After all, we would have to be careful not to project poor people as ordinary. They definitely would relate better to 'designer' clothes.
And had Ms. Facey chosen to clothe the figures in African garb, there would be an outcry because after all, "we are Jamaicans, not imitation Africans", (and everyone knows that we are much more comfortable with ourselves as "imitation Europeans or North Americans"). So clothing the statue would also cause a great debate.
OF BLACKNESS
If and when we lift our eyes from the penis we will note that Facey-Cooper was politically correct in her choice of hair for the male. She did not give him 'dreadlocks'. This surely would have opened a whole other can of worms.
Dr. Alfred Sangster, in a letter in the August 12 edition of the Observer, reported that one student commenting on the statue said, "It is big and ugly." It is hard to know why such a vision was conjured in the mind of this young person. What we do know is that Facey-Cooper's figures are definitely and solidly black.
One wonders if anything so black would be described in any other way. Indeed even if the statue were small and black it would be described by many as "little and ugly". When recently has anyone too black been described locally
as beautiful? The nearest compliment would be "good looking
or "exotic". Perhaps the female of 'Redemption Song' is largely ignored because she is not a "browning". Alas, she is truly black!
All in all, far too much time has been spent on this debate! Why has this particular statue engaged us so passionately and for so long?
Perhaps we need to be reminded that this is not the first piece of art that has created controversy and it will not be the last. Ironically, no one has yet commented on the artist's skills with her medium and the delicate touch with which she defines the beauty of the human body and the exquisite details of its lines.
Personally, I like 'Redemption Song'. It is beautifully executed. It serves its purpose. It gives us a symbol on which to focus our energies, but it will not emancipate us from narrowmindedness, self-hatred, the patriarchal mindset and the inequities that characterised our forebears before slavery and their descendants after slavery.
And it certainly will not help us to determine the 'average and the acceptable size of the black man's penis' or, more importantly, the true nature of his humanity.
Dr. Glenda P. Simms is the executive director of the Bureau of Women's Affairs.
