Meaning
Oppression — reworked so the word itself reflects what it describes. Rastafari reason that oppression pushes people down, not up, and so replace the 'op' (heard as 'up') with 'down', giving 'downpression'. The reshaped word names the systems and forces of 'Babylon' that hold the poor and the black man down, and it belongs to the Rastafari remaking of language toward truth, a companion to 'downpressor' for the oppressor and a constant theme in the music's cry against injustice.
Examples
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Babylon downpression heavy pon di poor.
Babylon's oppression weighs heavily on the poor.
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Wi haffi rise above di downpression.
We have to rise above the oppression.
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Dem chant against downpression.
They sing out against oppression.
Origin
A Rastafari Iyaric coinage: since 'op' in 'oppression' sounds like 'up' yet the act forces people down, the sound is corrected to 'down'. Compare 'overstand' for 'understand'.
How it’s used
Carries political weight and is common in conscious reggae. It is a deliberate statement, not a mistake.