Mawga Don rebuilds life through music after Hurricane Melissa

There were clear skies as Adrian Daley returned to St Elizabeth last Tuesday after a recording session in Kingston. Approximately one year ago, the singer faced an entirely different scenario.

Daley, known as Mawga Don, was preparing for Hurricane Melissa's onslaught. The category five system made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, decimating his home parish.

He is from Whitehall, a district 10 miles from Black River, St Elizabeth’s chief town. Daley, who is paralysed from the waist down, saw out the storm with his 71 year-old father who is blind.

“Bwoy, dat was a long day, wi suffer a lot! It blow mi father mind,” he recalled. “One year later an’ people down here still have it rough.”

St Elizabeth suffered the most damage from Hurricane Melissa’s 185 miles per hour gusts. It destroyed hospitals, schools, farms and businesses in the parish, as well as neighbouring Westmoreland, St James and Trelawny.

According to the Jamaican Government, 45 people lost their lives due to the hurricane, the most powerful force of nature to hit Jamaica since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

Daley, who is in his 40s, got involved in music as a teenager on sound systems. He launched his recording career in 2017 and has toured the Caribbean with Capleton and Luciano.

In 2022, Daley had a life-changing experience. He was paralysed from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in the town of Lacovia, southern St Elizabeth.

Daley continued to record songs while recovering at the Mona Rehabilitation Centre in St Andrew. Some of those tracks are on Respect, his first album which was released in 2024.

He produced nine of the album’s 16 songs including Soft Voice and Old Love, New Love. Recently, the artiste revived promotion for the project which he hopes will find fans in Europe where roots-reggae has a strong base.

While many in St Elizabeth are struggling to pick up the pieces one year later, Daley credits music for helping him rebuild his house and stabilise his life.

“Mi a Rasta yuh nuh, suh wi nuh really depend pon politician. Mi use my voice an’ help myself,” he said.