Tanya Stephens to give Lecture at UWI

According to reports, Reggae artiste Tanya Stephens, is to give a lecture at the University of the West Indies (U.W.I.) this upcoming Thursday (March 31, 2011). The event, hosted by the Department of Literatures in English, will be taking the format of a public lecture at the same Assembly Hall venue where controversial dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel gave his lecture a few weeks ago. Tanya will be speaking on the topic “Music: The Power to Shape Societies”.
The social-commentary-intensive lyrics of Tanya Stephens has long been used as case studies in the Department of Literatures’ “Reggae Poetry” course. According to UWI Lecturer Dr. Carolyn Cooper, the lecture “marks the revival of the brilliant public forums on ‘Women in Reggae’ that used to be hosted by the Reggae Studies Unit at UWI to mark International Women’s Month. The first forum, held almost a decade ago in March 2002, was organised by Ibo Cooper, who was then a research fellow in the unit. Judy Mowatt, Cherry Natural, Lady G, Lady Saw, Angie Angel, Queen Ifrica and attorney Sandra Alcott spoke with passion about their experiences in the reggae music industry”.