Set in Jamaica in the late 1980s and 1990s, Prophets is a poem of
rhythmic and metaphoric inventiveness, which "loads every rift... with
ore." It brings together an exacting a portrayal of the social and
cultural resonances of Jamaican society with a soaring mythopoeic
imagination that explores the tension between an ebullient cynicism and
a heartfelt desire for faith.
As 24-hour television, belching out the swaggering voices of American
hellfire preachers, competes with dancehall, slackness and ganja for
Jamaican minds, Clarice and Thalbot preach their own conflicting
visions. Clarice has used her gifts to raise herself from the urban
Jamaican ghetto. She basks in the adulation of her followers as they
look to her for their personal salvation. Thalbot has fallen from
comfort and security onto the streets. With his wild, matted hair and
nakedness, he is a deranged voice in the wilderness. Whilst Clarice has
her blue-eyed Jesus, Thalbot brandishes his blackness in the face of
every passer-by. Clarice's visions give her power; Thalbot is at the
mercy of every wandering spirit. But when, under cover of darkness,
Clarice 'sins' on the beach, Thalbot alone knows of her fall. He sets
out to journey, like Jonah, to denounce the prophetess and warn the
Ninevite city of its coming doom. An epic struggle begins...
