/ARTS WEEKLY/MUSIC:
Jamaican Business Joins Chorus Against Anti-Gay Songs
Zadie Neufville
KINGSTON, Dec 4 (IPS) - Jamaica is preparing itself for what many people
believe could be economic fallout from the decade-long battle between gay
rights groups and the local entertainment industry.
Ten years after the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD) and British gay rights group Outrage began their campaign against
the homophobic lyrics of dancehall stars, the local business community
has begun its own "clean-up" of dancehall.
The groups have targeted some of the nation's top international
artists including Beenie Man (Anthony Moses Davis), Buju Banton (Mark
Myrie), Bounty Killa (Rodney Price) and TOK (a five-man group), for their
homophobic lyrics. The campaign has been successful, causing the
cancellation of reggae tours and the removal of dancehall acts from major
shows across Europe and the United States.
''We are now realising some of the consequences of our failure to
address prejudice and discrimination,'' says a spokesman for the Jamaica
Federation of Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays (J-Flag), who asked to
remain anonymous.
Activists have intensified the campaign against prominent dancehall
acts since the murder of local gay-rights campaigner Brian Williamson in
June. Graphically violent lyrics promoting the death of gays,
dubbed ''murder music'' is blamed for the killings and violent beatings
of homosexuals locally, as well as the beating death of British bar man
David Morley in London on Oct. 30.
Outrage says the growing popularity of the music is the reason for a
10-per-cent increase in ''gay-bashing'' incidents recorded by the London
Metropolitan Police in 2003.
Williamson's murder, JFLAG says, brings to 30 the number of gay men
killed on the island since 1997. That year, 16 men were murdered during a
prison uprising because other inmates believed they were gay.
Homophobia is deeply ingrained in Jamaican society, taught in church
and supported by legislation. Gay sex here is punishable by up to 10
years hard labour in prison under the 140-year old Buggery Act.
Dancehall supporters say the artists are protesting the dark side of
the local homosexual community. They point to the growing number of young
males having sex with men for economic reasons and the mostly unreported
sexual abuse of young street boys.
They call dancehall stars the ''scapegoats'' in a conspiracy driven by
racism and aimed at decriminalising homosexuality, and warn that the
local business community could be targeted next by the activist groups.
In an effort to protect ''brand Jamaica'', which trade and tourism
officials say is the fifth most recognised worldwide for its music and
culture, businesses have launched their own efforts to ''stop the
violence in the music''.
On Oct. 1, the Jamaican subsidiaries of Cable and Wireless, Courts,
Digicel, Pepsi Cola, Guinness-owned Red Stripe and local giant Wray and
Nephew Limited announced they intend to cut ties with artists
who ''promote violence of any form'' from advertising campaigns.
Just over one week later, Sandals Resort International dropped the
word ''heterosexual'' from its advertising.
In a collective statement the corporate giants said, ''We are
concerned that the continued use of violent lyrics could ultimately lead
to the decline of our music industry as well as a social and economic
backlash.''
Tourism is Jamaica's second largest earner of foreign exchange and is
responsible for about one in four jobs in the country.
The companies are some of the biggest sponsors of music events and
regularly use stars of dancehall (a form of rhythmic poetry set to music,
which pre-dates rap) to endorse their products.
The all-inclusive Sandals Group includes Beeches hotels and is part of
the locally owned ATL Group, which counts Air Jamaica and the island's
second daily newspaper, the 'Jamaica Observer' among its holdings.
Sandals, which prides itself on exquisite Caribbean weddings and
traditionally targets couples and families, says it dropped the
word ''heterosexual'' from its ads in ''direct response to emerging
commercial and social laws'' in some places where it does business.
In a release, the chain said its attempts to do what
is ''traditionally regarded as niche marketing'' are now interpreted as
discrimination.
But the JFLAG spokesperson noted the hotel ''continues to discriminate
against homosexual couples by exclusion on the basis of their sexual
orientation.''
''The only change is that they don't publicly state this in European
advertising,'' he said.
Many Jamaicans have long called for the ''cleaning-up'' of dancehall,
which has also been chastised for derogatory lyrics about women and for
promoting violence towards policemen.
While not supportive of homosexuality, many of these critics believe
violence in the music, which often leads to fights between stars and
their supporters at major stage shows, contributes to record high murder
rates in Jamaica. There have been more than 1,250 murders in this island
nation of 2.6 million people in 2004.
Dancehall gay bashing made headlines internationally when Buju Banton
(Mark Myrie) released 'Boom Bye Bye' in1992. Its lyrics include: ''The
world is in trouble/ Anytime Buju Banton arrives/ Gays will have to run/
or get a bullet in the head/ Bang, Bang in a gay boy's head / Home Boy
won't support nasty men, they must die.''
Then, veteran journalist and human rights activist John Maxwell
described 'Boom Bye Bye', as ''dangerous public mischief.'' According to
him, the song was not only ''anti-social and uncivilised, it was also
against Jamaican law and (the) constitution.''
Maxwell blames the media's double standards for the continued
prevalence of such lyrics. He accuses the industry of developing ''an
unholy alliance with the dancehall community'' with its extreme
homophobia and anti-law sentiments while speculating how to fix the
nation's crime problem and supporting more repression and greater
firepower for the police.
''It has taken various homosexual groups to bring this contradiction
to the attention of most Jamaicans,'' he said recently.
Some hotels, like Club Ambiance in Runaway Bay, Half-Moon Club in
Montego Bay and Mocking Bird Hill in Port Antonio have already made
themselves ''gay-friendly'' and are listed on Internet sites such as
Planet Out, Ferrari International and Gay Travel.
While not describing itself as gay-friendly, the popular Hedonism
Hotels has a policy of ''we don't ask, you don't tell,'' a spokesman told
IPS. The chain caters to adults only and has hosted the outrageous but
popular U.S. TV programme, the Jerry Springer Show, as well as several
nude weddings.
The cancellation of music shows is now hurting promoters and artists,
industry insiders say. In September, Outrage successfully lobbied for the
removal of Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel (Adidja Palmer), from the list of
nominees at the British Music of Black Origin (MOBO) awards. Both had
been nominated in the Best Reggae Act category.
Bounty Killer's planned performance at the Krakrock Festival in
Avelgem, Belgium in September was cancelled. In August, Beenie Man was
dropped from a MTV concert, one of many planned as part of the MTV Music
Awards.
Health officials have recently blamed homophobia for the growing rate
of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, while gay rights groups accuse authorities of
condoning violence against gays.
A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Nov. 16, accused Jamaican
authorities of fostering ''an atmosphere of violence toward men who have
sex with men.''
''High level political leaders, including Prime Minister PJ Patterson
and Minister of Health John Junor, repeatedly refuse to endorse repeal of
discriminatory legislation, ignoring not only international human rights
standards but also reports by both the government's national HIV/AIDS
programme and its advisory national AIDS committee,'' added HRW.
But in a meeting with journalists in the United Kingdom in November,
Minister of Tourism Aloun Assamba said there is no proof
of ''systematic'' violence against Jamaican gays.
''The government does not condone violence against any group or any
individuals,'' added Assamba.
While government has no immediate plans to change the laws, organisers
of Sting, the largest reggae show in the Caribbean, announced Nov. 17
they would not pay artists who used violent lyrics at this year's show.
''We are going to ensure that they (artists) follow the law and we
have included it in their contracts,'' said Spokesman Howard McIntosh
during a media briefing. (END/2004)
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