Dear Editor,
The concert by Beenie Man scheduled for December 29 will be a landmark performance. It will be his first appearance in Guyana since signing the Reggae Compas-sionate Act, renouncing homophobia and condemning anti-gay violence, in March 2007. “I’m not homophobic”, the singer said as recently as last month to the Trinidad and Tobago media: “Trinidad Express”
(November 7, 2007, Section 2, page 5).
SASOD has taken issue with Beenie Man’s prior performances in Guyana . On July 29, 2005 at the National Park, a state-owned venue, he sang “Bad Man Chi Chi”. The words of that song tell the audience to maim and kill all gay and lesbian people. Beenie Man’s vile verbiage on that occasion precipitated our December 2, 2005 request to the Ethnic Relations Commission to put adequate measures in place to prevent and curb anti-gay, hyper-violent lyrics in the public sphere. To date, the Commission (which is the body mandated to “encourage and create respect for religious, cultural and other forms of diversity in a plural society” under Article 212D, paragraph (f) of the Guyana Constitution) has failed to effectively address these concerns. Similarly, official silence in response to anti-gay, hyper-violent lyrics performed by Buju Banton and Baby Cham in Guyana recently indicates apathy on the part of the state in protecting all Guyanese citizens from violence.
SASOD continues to be vigilant in working to bring an end to hatred and violence in the music community, based on racism, sexism and homophobia. We work in partnership with regional and international allies, including Jamaica’s Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays, the Black Gay Men’s Advisory Group, and OutRage!, to “Stop Murder Music”, and we do so inspired by the words of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu hoping “for the world to end the persecution of people because of their sexual orientation, which is every bit as unjust as that crime against humanity, apartheid.” The recently concluded Economic Partnership Agreement between CARIFORUM and the European Union will open up opportunities for Caribbean artists like Beenie Man, once they are genuinely committed to respect for human rights. But EU countries have deepstanding concerns about violence and the ways in which some artists believe they can imagine violence in their lyrics.
Artists who practice such lyrics will find these opportunities closed to them.
Yours faithfully,
Members of SASOD
