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January 29, 2023

I’ll never forget the individual who dosed me with the proverbial red pill, or, in other words, helped wake me up to the status of world affairs.

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He’s a modern-day Bob Marley, possessing a parallel talent for weaving spiritual and political elements into his reggae tracks. Alvin Charlery, also known as the Poetic Juggler sings melodies infused with syncopated rhythm and calypso with lyrics that hold profound meaning, particularly corresponding to modern day issues such as the New World Order, social decline, and economic collapse.

For about 30 years now, Charlery has been a soccer coach for universities and soccer clubs across Connecticut. “I used to juggle the ball while reciting poetry, oh, the kids loved it! So one kid shouted ‘oh sh*t coach, you are the poetic juggler!’“ says Charlery about how he coined his musical alter ego.

While Marley arose from Jamaica and Trench Town, Charlery hails from the other side of the Caribbean, his native island of St. Lucia. Like Marley, Charlery gives thanks to Jah Jah, who those outside of the reggae realm may know as the Lord Above. In a 2011 GQ article about legendary reggae icon Bunny Wailer (of Bob Marley and the Wailers), writer John Jeremiah Sullivan gives a poignant description of the spiritual power of reggae music: “It’s spiritual pop—not in a calculated way, like Christian rock, but in a way that comes from within.”

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Charlery credits Marley and Wailer for being his biggest inspirations. And while many of his political messages align with the oppressive elements Marley crooned about, Charlery builds upon the roots of this oppression with his heavy references to elements like the New World Order, United Nations, and nuclear weapons.

When one thinks of Marley, Bunny Wailer, reggae and Rastafarianism, the topic of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement may not immediately come to mind.

But back in 2016, the Poetic Juggler whispered in my ear that “Donald Trump will go down in history as the best president America ever had.” Coming from a green card holder whose music is a portal for the unity of his beloved ancestors’ country, Africa, this seemed counterintuitive to the rampant media coverage of Trump’s campaign which, according to publications like The Week, NBC and the Huffington Post, was “run on racism.”

In his song “Stand Up,” Charlery gives recognition to many of the “people that were killed during their time as leaders who were trying to bring about the unification of Africa…and America and Europe wouldn’t go for that at all.”  The names mentioned in the song include Nelson Mandela, Patrice Lumumba, Marcus Garvey and Sekou Toure. Charlery believes that if Africa could be united, just like the United States, that it would have a more powerful voice in world affairs, which would in turn benefit the entire world.

As it turns out, Trump appears to appreciate reggae music.

In his book “Think Like a Billionaire,” Trump recalled a 2004 guest hosting spot on Saturday Night Live, where he had the privilege of hearing Toots Hibbert (known as one of reggae’s founders) and his band Toots & the Maytals rehearse. “My daughter Ivanka had told me how great they were, and she was right. The music relaxed me, and surprisingly, I was not nervous,” Trump wrote in the book.