Activists Are Concerned About The Anti-Gay Lyrics Of Edmonton Reggae Festival Performers
BuzzFeed - Latest 2015-07-08
Summary:
“They cannot be rewarded for performing these songs. They just can’t be. “
Jamaican-Canadian activists are raising concerns about the headliners of this year's Edmonton Reggae Festival, calling the artists "professed anti-LGBTQ Jamaican singers."
This year's headliners are Queen Ifrica, I Wayne and Capleton, all three of whom have come under fire for anti-gay lyrics and statements in the past.
I Wayne and Capleton both have songs that have been accused of encouraging violence against gay and lesbian people. A Capleton concert set for Toronto in 2011 was moved over concerns about anti-gay messages.
A song by Queen Ifrica called "Keep It To Yourself" praises male heterosexuality and makes reference to "fish" — a derogatory term for gay men. In 2013, she spoke out against repealing Jamaica's laws banning sex between men, according to the Jamaica Gleaner.
In a statement, her management told Jamaican media that "while she remains grounded in her morals which espouses heterosexuality, she wants to make it abundantly and emphatically clear that she does not condone nor has ever supported or advocated violence against any group or community, whether implicitly or explicitly."
She was set to headline Toronto's Rastafest in 2013 but organizers announced the show was cancelled after backlash from Canadian members of the Jamaica Association of Gays and Lesbians Abroad (JAGLA).
Klavs Bo Christensen / ASSOCIATED PRESS
One of those people was Maurice Tomlinson, a Jamaican-Canadian attorney and LGBT advocate. He said that while its the right of the Edmonton headliners to perform, audiences should consider what they're supporting.
The 2013 case with Queen Ifrica was different in that public funds were being used to support the show. In this case, Tomlinson said, the headliners have a right to perform but he hopes organizers ask them to watch what they say.
"I don’t want to deny someone their right to earn a living but at the same time we have to make sure that they understand the laws that ban hate speech here," he said.
But even if that's the case, Tomlinson said supporting these artists has potential to do more harm for LGBT people living in Jamaica.
"I would never go and I would never encourage anyone to go because the money is going to be supporting a homophobic approach in Jamaica," he told BuzzFeed Canada, adding that this type of music normalizes anti-gay sentiment and violence in Jamaica.
"They cannot be rewarded for performing these songs. They just can’t be. Unless they make a very public renouncing of those songs they should not in my view be getting any kind of support internationally."
JAGLA posted a statement on its Facebook page saying the organization is concerned and surprised that the artists were invited to perform in Canada.
"They have expressed no remorse for their anti-gay lyrics," the statement said.
"We therefore suggest that promoters in Canada reconsider booking any professed anti-LGBTQ Jamaican artiste, until they clearly and specifically apologize to the LGBT community members in Canada and abroad."
The festival has not yet responded to BuzzFeed Canada's request for comment, but a message posted by festival president John Fortuna said a statement is forthcoming.
Local radio stations HOT 107 and CRUZ 95.7 are among the sponsors of the festival, and program dire