This song Redemption by the Jamaican reggae icons Bob Marley and The Wailers borrows several thoughts from Marcus Garvey. He was an African American champion for promoting the unity of all black people worldwide. The line from this song, “emancipate yourself from mental slavery,” calls for Africans to fight against any form of oppression (Marley, B., & The Wailers, 1980, verse 3). Furthermore, this song stresses individuals’ need to effectively change their mindset to gain freedom from slavery and tyranny. According to the functionalism theory, social systems should work to maintain equilibrium in society. Any changes to the usual cultural or social balance will result in resistance from the affected individuals. The community’s different aspects need to provide essential services to individuals to continue existing in society, failure to which it would cause its death (Harper & Leicht, 2018). Music is a vital instrument in promoting the social balance of the institutions in the community.
The song also talks about the unity of the black community in spearheading social changes. This is in line with the functionalist view that each aspect of society should exist as an entity to promote its overall stability and working. The song emphasizes the inherent personal role in agitating for social changes where it says, “none but ourselves can free up our mind” (Marley & The Wailers, 1980, stanza 3). People from the black community are called upon to support each other in meeting their daily needs, not provided by the government. These services include the provision of primary education, healthcare, and proper housing and sanitation services. Functionalist theories state that the other parts of society will change in lieu of deviant behavior by the system’s other components (Harper & Leicht, 2018). The Redemption song posits that individuals should stand up and fight to provide adequate services by the government. Social change is achieved through the collective efforts of the societal members.
References
Harper, C. L., & Leicht, K. T. (2018).Exploring social change: America and the world. (7th ed.). Taylor and Francis. Web.
Marley, B., & The Wailers. (1980). Redemption song: Uprising [Audio]. Web.