AH DI SAME MAURICE TOMLINSON WHEY DID MARRIED TO A WOMAN BEFORE?
Three Jamaican singers booked to headline the Edmonton Reggae Festival later this summer in Canada, have found themselves at the heart of a controversy that centres on gay rights and freedom of speech.
Queen Ifrica, Capleton and I-Wayne have all been accused of making anti-gay statements or having anti-gay lyrics in their dancehall songs.
The three are booked to headline the festival in September.
But the controversy has prompted a complaint to the Hate Crimes Unit of the Edmonton police – with sponsors pulling their support from the festival.
In 2013, at an independence celebration, Queen Ifrica declared to a crowd of patriotic Jamaicans, “all a di ppl wah inna di national stadium, out up yuh han inna di air, all straight people, man an’ woman mi seh.”
Those words forced her removal from the line-up of two international festivals in 2013 and have have now returned to haunt her.
It all started, when the Jamaican Association of Gays and Lesbians Abroad, JAGLA, raised concerns that promoters in Canada are still inviting anti-gay artistes to perform in the country, given their beliefs and refusal to express remorse for their lyrics.
I-Wayne features a song titled ‘burn down Sodom’
JGLA has also raised concerns because they say Queen Ifrica subsequently voiced lyrics deemed anti-gay despite being removed from the festivals.
Now, Chris Wells from the University of Alberta says he wants the Hate Crime Unit of the Edmonton police to investigate.
Meanwhile, the festival’s in a response on Facebook says it’ll respond soon to the controversy.
But even as that response is yet to come, 1-sponsor, HOT 107 has pulled its sponsorship support, telling Nationwide News, that another sponsor, Global News, has indicated that they too will be pulling their support.
“We were receiving a number of growing concerns from our listener base that their feelings would be hurt because of the particular views that the three headlining artistes may or may have not said. I don’t know if that is public as yet but Global [News] has told me that they will be doing the same thing,” said Troy Scott, programme director at Hot 107.
Critics say Capleton and I-Wayne have song lyrics that condemn same-sex relationships and encourage violence against the LGBTQ community.
An I-Wayne song called ‘Burn Down Sodom’ includes anti-gay lyrics
There are now calls for festival organizers to drop the three acts and for the various levels of government to get involved.
Canadian human rights activist Murray Billett, who’s also a former member of the Edmonton police commission, says its extremely disappointing that in 2015 this issue still has to be dealt with.
Billet says homophobia is wrong, no matter who is delivering the message.
Billet and others have called on fans to boycott the festival unless organizers make changes to the lineup.
A senior policy analyst with the Canadian HIV/AIDS legal network, Maurice Tomlinson, says organizers should not be rewarding the artistes with Canadians’ money.
Tomlinson, a Jamaican, says the artistes are able to use the money paid to them to maintain their lifestyle and their approach to anti-gay campaigning in Jamaica.
Efforts to contact the artistes for a response were unsuccessful.
Why don’t these artist stand up for their craft. If queen ifrica stated a man and woman she seh, how is that anti gay. She neva seh fi kill all gays, she just believe man to woman. These creatures agenda is to dismantle the church. The gays preach tolerance and freedom to express dem self but heterosexual fi shut up And not have those same rights. If fans want to see ifrica or I-wayne they should be able to do so without gay interference. My money I do as I please.
Dem battyman and rub crotches society deh waan yuh fi abandon yuh owna ideals and run backa dem. Pretty soon dem ah guh waan people fi stamp “I endorse gays” pon food and clothes. Dem fi lowe people and gweh.
More and more mi believe seh dis ting dem agenda a di mark a di beast
Yes Metty, dem agenda platform guided by heavy duty demonic forces.
De same way how dem push adda tings dung dem throat is de same way dem can shove dem concert dung dem throat too. The concert sponsors and JAGLA can rationalise all they want, but mi just kiss mi teeth, because mi know say dat nothing can make homosexuality a normal thing, and homosexual marriage acceptable on any front. They won’t be getting a nickel from my pocket to support their concert, because mi nuh inna wey dem inna!
I agree with both sides. People should have the right to have their feelings about anything they want to. At the same time if you have a certain stance you should be able to stand in your beliefs, why would you want money from a country who has legalized the very thing you are against? I am not going to vacation in the Dominican republic because I will not support their economy when they treat Haitians like garbage. Stand up for what you believe in and live with it.
Suppose a nuh everybody in that country believe ina dat lifestyle? People cant have what they want anymore?
So when di artiste dem travel to deze countries dem not going to lodge in hotels and sleep on strange beds, eat and drink from strange forks and glasses where I am 100% sure that gay people have come in contact with the very same vessels? Wedda or not dem agree wid dat lifestyle dem betta believe it seh dem coming in contact intimately wid gay/bi/trans ppl every single day, especially in hotels and restaurants…lol
Look, Met, mi is a very feisty person, and when mi believe inna summen to di core a my being mi is not di type fi give any leeway weh dat ting can come to me. Mi di type fi cut off mi nose fi spite mi face, suh mi tan from mi bawn. So deze artiste who have a strong anti-gay stance should not enter countries where it is legal for gays to live dem life and teck money from those countries economies. Dem can travel di Middle-East, Africa, India, and the many other places in the world where their views are appreciated, and teck money from those places. Why be a hypocrite just chu a career, stand firm in your beliefs and don’t bend just fi di sake of money.
Mi agree dem fi stand firm but a nuh one set a people nuh support homosexuality ..where dem eat sleep etc have nothing to do with their beliefs
No, it has nothing to do with their beliefs, you correct, but its funny af fi see ppl who against certain tings teck demself guh places where we all know dem bodies come in intimate contact wid di said ppl who dem nuh approve of.
Met, if I had a strong anti-gay stance restaurant and hotel nuh ketch me enuh, or if mi guh mi trabel wid mi own wares, or stick to camping..lol. Not even hospital mi would a guh eena if mi sick, cause how u knows who you docta or nurse gwine be?lol. Wi nuh see women who strongly anti-abortion prefer fi dead that go against dem beliefs, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses and dem refusal fi teck blood? I haffi laugh more time yaw when mi see weh dem end up wid dem strong beliefs. Folks fi know and realize demself man, and nuh look like a damn fool or hypocrite, if you stand for summen then stand fi it to di death!
It depends mi still doe agree oo..me not liking what you do is not something personal and it does not mean i dont like or cannot like u as a person..mi jus nuh agree wid one part a u…there is much more to a person than their sexuality..Jehovah witness a cult ting
I agree with anonymous, ive seen people sacrifice for their beliefs, these people are half way. And it is so easy to spread hate but so hard to be the one being hated, the homosexuals are vicious because they are tired of being the ones poked at. Im sure everybody should know how that feels, the ones who fight back should understand cuz some ppl sit down an get bullied fi dem whole life, for different reasons not only being gay. I don’t tolerate homosexuality but i sure as hell wont wish death upon these people. And when u go as far as to says violent slores its just disgusting, get over it.