Red Thread has petitioned the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism against the planned bringing of entertainers R Kelly, and Onyan and the Burning Flames for Jamzone this year.
Kelly has faced several charges in the US for sex with underage girls but has not been convicted. A song by Onyan titled “Kick in She Back Door”, critics have said, encourages rape and violence against women.
The petition titled “Guyanese say no to rape and pedophilia” was signed by more than 100 persons and delivered to Minister of Sport, Dr Frank Anthony, and Irfaan Ali, Minister of Tourism, Red Thread said in a release yesterday.
It said that the bringing of the two artistes “encourages rape and violence against women if they deny sexual favours to men. Bringing these performers to Guyana to headline the popular Jamzone concert in effect, condones sexual violence.”
According to the organization, the promotion of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of “a concert featuring a child pornographer and a band encouraging forced sex and anal rape tells the Guyanese people that such behavior is acceptable and worthy of celebrating- a most vile message in a society facing an epidemic of sexual violence.”
The release also added that “Minister Anthony and Ali, as holders of portfolios that purport to serve youth, promote cultural activities and showcase the best of Guyana, are being called upon to intervene with Hits and Jams Entertainment and to demand that these offensive individuals are dropped from the Jamzone lineup.”
