Feedback 1 augustus 2021
Two days after his death, the Dutch news media have not said a word about him
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Zouk giant. Unparalleled guitarist. Iconic voice of the Antilles. Jacob Desvarieux was all this at once. The best tribute we can pay him today is to let his immense talent live on.
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According to French President Emmanuel Macron, following the death last Friday of Jacob Desvarieux, co-founder of the French-Antillean band Kassav’ and founder of Zouk music.
People around the world are in shock for a reason. There are probably few bands that have performed as much worldwide as Kassav’. Over the past 40 years, Kassav’ has traveled the world year after year, with many performances in Africa, South and North America and Europe.
But Jacob combined his musical genius with a modesty that is rare in the music industry. From my work with the Rotterdam Zouk singer Suzanna Lubrano I have regularly been able to experience that modesty up close. Like the time he rented a car while on vacation to take his wife for an hour-long drive from New York to the Blue Jay Recording Studio northwest of Boston, where we were recording a new album. He wanted to accompany Suzanna during the recording of the track he had made for her. For free.
So many people in Africa and Europe, in America and Asia, have their own personal memories of Jacob. All those personal memories make the impact of his death extra great.
Kassav’ performed at least dozens of times in the Netherlands. That also makes it incomprehensible that two days after his death, the Dutch news media have not yet said a word to Jacob Desvarieux. It once again makes it painfully clear how little inclusive the Dutch media landscape is. In a super-diverse society in which more than 30% of the population living in the Netherlands is focused on more than one culture in daily life, it is no longer acceptable for news editors to ignore the varied perspectives from that mixed society. Certainly in the knowledge that for many people within the large Caribbean community in the Netherlands, the significance of Kassav’ is certainly as great as that of (for example) the Rolling Stones for many white Dutch people. This is one of the reasons why Jacob Desvarieux deserves much more respect in the Netherlands than he gets from our news media.
Can’t see video? click here.
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