A tribute to the late Colin Jah Bone Cumberbatch, photo-journalist and cultural ambassador 

Jah B! Give Thanks & Praises 

A tribute to the late Colin Jah Bone Cumberbatch, photo-journalist and cultural ambassador 

By Colin James

As we say goodbye for Colin ‘Jah Bone’ or ‘Bone’ Cumberbatch, I cannot help but reflect on the indelible mark he has left on society.

If you rightfully remember him for his sterling contribution to photo-journalism, not just sports-photography, then you cannot be faulted.

But he was that and much more.

If you only remember him for his erstwhile and intimate knowledge of the musical art form – particularly pan, calypso, reggae and soca – then you would not be surprised if you were told that he was an avid fan of the classics, jazz, soul, R&B, Hip Hop, Rap and other instruments.

He was a devoted Rastafarian, a conscious pan-Africanist, a Caribbean citizen and above all, a family man.

I was privileged to have known and interacted with the parents of ‘Jah B’, as I fondly hail him, even before our journalistic lives intertwined in the mid-1980s.

I was grateful to learn about him – even before I met him – through the pontifications of his fraternal friend and journalism colleague, the late Ras King Frank I Tafari, who would regular feather the voice and thoughts of Jah B on the “ever-popular and most-authoritative” ‘Sports Line’ show on ZDK radio which spanned more than three decades from the late 1970s.

I was aware of Jah B’s photographic excellence from shots he sold to publications produced by the late legendary Barbadian journalist and commentator Tony Cozier who edited the yearly West Indies Cricket Annual, the Red Stripe Bowl Quarterly among other periodicals between the mid-1970s to the early 2000s.

When I left ABS Radio/TV in 1986 as a 20-year-old budding journalist and broadcaster to begin a new career in industrial relations it would have been an honour to work and learn from the knowledge and experiences of ‘Bone’s’ father, the late Cyril Cumberbatch who was then a consultant to the Antigua Employers’ Federation. His late mother, Eileen, was a constant visitor and presence at the office; and often I would overheard his parents speaking reverently about their Colin.

I believe the fact that ‘Jah B’ was a practicing photo-journalist made it accommodating for Mr. Cumberbatch (and by extension the late Henderson Bass who was the Executive Secretary) to accept me as a freelance reporter during my employment at the AEF.

The ‘other’ Colin would also intermittently pop into the office, especially when he was returning to Antigua from one his sojourns, but our conversations then would be limited to the customary pleasantries. I doubt we ever spoke much about cricket or sports as I should to limit my moonlighting to a minimum.

Jah B was always insightful and intellectual while expounding his view on the pros and cons of West Indies cricket; the unjust system and racist Apartheid system in South Africa; regional integration (or the lack therefore); and his journeys across the world chronicling the highs and lows of the Windies through his photographic lens and pen.

Yes, Jah B was an intrepid – to use a term coined by King Frank I – writer and commentator (although he rarely featured in the commentary box) but was an excellent orator when being interviewed by the latter or any other interviewer.

I would always marvel at Jah B’s storyteller euphony as he related his views and offered suggestions to remedy his perceived injustices in the regional game and the marginalization of cricketers from the so-called smaller islands of the Leeward and Windward islands

He called a spade a spade and wasn’t afraid to step on the toes of regional and local cricket/sports administrators even if some were his friends. And Frank I was an inviting protagonist.

All three of us collaborated on a special publication to mark Antigua & Barbuda’s hosting of the Windies v England test match in 1986 and I believed it was Bone’s who titled it ‘Sportsworld’, borrowed from the Indian version, after he toured the Asian country in 1983.

As Jah B continued his crusade across the region and globally – whenever he could afford the expenses associated with travel, accommodation and meals other than receiving from family and associates, our paths will cross again during my tenure at the AntiguaSUN newspaper from 1997-2000.

As the Associate Editor, Sports, I convinced my bosses to engage Jab B services to provide captivating photos of not only the Windies exploits on the field but for sports and other news of national and regional interest. It was a deliberate move to pitch the SUN to be on par with the three big ional publications: the Barbados Nation (who had the late great Gordon Brooks and his son, Randy), the Trinidad Express (who had the young tyro Robert Taylor) and Jamaica’s – Gleaner (who had the forthright Headley ‘Dellmar’ Samuels) and Observer – on their teams.

Jah B reveled in this assignment which gave him the cushion and avenue to display his work while earning sustainable remuneration to fuel his drive to cover Windies cricket and other events.

It also meant that when international matches – Test and One-Days – came to Antigua, it meant I had to perform the role of a ‘runner’ not only for Jah B but the other photographers who needed to have their films ‘washed’ at the photo labs so that they could transmit images back to their media houses, that was long before digital images became the norm today.

So imagine me dashing from the press box to get the films from Jah B, Dellmar and Brooks to go to either Island Photo, Benjies, Photogenesis or Woods Photo at lunch and tea times and before the close of play to deposit and collect the prints.  

The tales of my association with Jah B and our work and efforts to provide journalistic coverage of cricket, sports, news and culture is long and storied. It would do justice to him to compact his times in one tribute so I will endeavor to do another one soon.

Until then, on the occasion of his burial today (February 17) – the date of the ‘earth strong’ of his friend and fellow Guyanese Alan LaRose, I extend sincere condolences to his family, relatives and friends.

May His Soul continue to Rest in Peace!

Give Thanks and Praise!

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