It's taken me months to send this... written at the end of our Juan Dolio meeting... didn't want to spoil the party and I was just happy to see and meet and spend time with everyone...

But with the eminent launch of CIVIC 2.0, and nothing stopping it, I guess it's OK to whimper a little about the past ;-)

If anything, ignore my senseless whimpering and just listen to Bob Marley's rendition of Marcus Garvey's original message to "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind" in his solo "Redemption Song" and see how you associate it with us, you, all...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IIZPURwTK8

And forgive me for daring to mess with one of the finest lyrics ever written for a song...

Old pirates, yes, they rob i;
-- for I was a happy Civic-lister, mostly lurking, agreeing to nothing, questioning everything
Sold I to the merchant ships,
-- made me sign charters and agree with mandates if I wanted to ever see my friends again...
Minutes after they took i
From the bottomless pit.
-- with the promise of improved technology and community platform...
But my hand was made strong
By the and of the almighty.
The few who ever respond to any consultation :-p
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.
-- Launching CIVIC 2.0
Wont you help to sing
These songs of freedom? -
cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.
-- whimpering and ranting, blogging too perhaps...

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
-- of committees and charters and mandates...
-- of european models and formats created for different cultures, people and needs...
None but ourselves can free our minds.
-- and what we do in our immediate environment every day, not just what we discuss or agree
-- only ourselves can create impact-generating models and approaches relevant to our needs, people, culture which maximize our advantages, opportunities and strengths and do not suffer as much from our many and diverse handicaps, challenges and limitations...
Have no fear for atomic energy,
-- or drupal or CIVIC 2.0 for that matter...
cause none of them can stop the time.
-- neither can I...
How long shall they kill our prophets,
-- I guess as long as there are prophets, they will be killed
While we stand aside and look? ooh!
-- agree with the charters and mandates, or be silent and lurk, tacitly agreeing, even though you don't...
Some say its just a part of it:
Weve got to fulfil de book.
-- and sign on to the new CIVIC 2.0 drupal platform.... as I have ;-)

Won't you help to sing
-- represent us all, support representing...
These songs of freedom? -
-- these channels of chatter...
cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
-- nostalgia for a list with no compromise...
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.

--------------------------------

By the way, yes, "Redemption Song" can be said to be some kind of derivative work of Marcus Garvey's "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind", as it is not just inspired by it, but includes Marcus "mandate" (you civic'ers 2.0 love that word, don't ya?) word for word. There you go, once again, free culture in the making.

Would love to hear what WTO, RIIA or Jamaica Intellectual Property Office have to say about that... Probably not much, but they sure would get busy sending threatening cease and desist letters to youtube to remove the video above and the ones below from it's site, preventing the world from listening to the "MESSAGE" without paying them for it...

If you are like me and can't get enough of one the greatest piece of Caribbean literature and song lyrics ever... enjoy the versions below as well...

Record version (linked at the beginning of the article as well)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IIZPURwTK8

Bob Marley's live performance of Redemption Song in Germany...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJHgMD1S0bg

Awsome home video version of Bob Marley singing it informally... love this one, it goes on and on... you don't want it to end
-- he did not need no web 2.0 platform and does a master performance just "he" and his "guitar"... but I guess we can't all be Bobs... :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci7r_ayacVc

Celtic version, by Ziggy Marley & The Chieftains:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8yUSEJgacE

Bossa nova version, by Bossa n marley
-- we all know Bob is as big in Brazil as he is in Germany, but you never expected this :-P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-tfpOJxwJM