Buju Banton’s “Boom Bye Bye-isms”

“Boom bye bye inna batty bwoy head”

Translation: “Shoot and kill a gay man in the head” 

Back when I was living in Toronto in the late 90’s, I went to a Black club for a comedy night event. A local and very popular Black comedian was in the middle of his set when he made a rather offensive gay joke. At the end of the crowds laughter, a group of 3 people… a man and two women if I remember correctly… started chanting rather loudly, a pro-gay slogan while approaching the stage. The intent of their protest was to disrupt the set so that the comedian couldn’t continue. He (and everyone else) looked shocked and tried to make a couple of jokes at their expense, but they only got louder and more intense and he finally had to leave the stage. This was the first time I had ever seen anything like this in a Black club. The place was silent. The three protesters walked back to their seats, but you could cut the tension with a knife. After what seemed like an eternity, the DJ played “Boom Bye Bye”, an anti-gay reggae dancehall song by Buju Banton, that advocates deadly violence against homosexuals:

The mood changed for the worst as the song played and the crowd started chanting along with the above chorus. The three protesters, sensing that it would be in the best interest for their own safety… “life” … decided to leave.

 

Buju who is set to begin a North American tour at the end of September, recently has had shows that were scheduled in some major American cities, canceled due to protests, including a Facebook campaign, from gay rights advocacy groups. Apparently shows in Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston and elsewhere have been canceled, as well as a growing daily list of venues. He is being referred to as a “murder music” reggae artist by the gay rights activists in their protest against him.

Recorded first in 1988, then re-released in 1992, the song catapulted Buju onto the reggae dancehall scene. I remember when it became a dancehall “hit”… it was an anthem that we (and I) all sang along with. Back then there was some controversy around the song, especially after the “hot” dancehall reggae artist at that moment, Shabba Ranks, made some anti-homosexual comments in support of the song and Buju. Similar to what is happening now, Shabba had some North American concert dates canceled due to protest from gay rights activists. He was dropped from appearing on the Jay Leno, Arsenio Hall and David Letterman Shows and eventually had to issue a statement of apology. His career, in North America at least, never recovered and he was subsequently dropped by his record label. 

Although Buju has gone on to make a lot more positive, “conscious” and uplifting music, it is said that he still performs the infamous song, even after it was reported that he and other reggae artists had signed the Reggae Compassionate Act in 2007, renouncing homophobia and violence against gays and lesbians (Buju, who’s real name is Mark Myrie, is the last signatory on the document). He later denied signing the document. In 2004, he was charged but acquitted of participating in an attack on 6 gay men in Jamaica. 

There is no doubt that dancehall reggae has a very homophobic, misogynous and violent element within it. These lyrics not only promotes violence against homosexuals, but also the “massacre-ing” of rivals and overly aggressive sexual intercourse called “daggering”.

Growing up in Jamaica, I was aware of the strong anti-gay sentiments held by the society at large. Being labeled a “sodomite”, “batty bwoy”, “mawma-man” or “chi-chi man”  in school, would get you bullied unmercifully, while it would most likely lead to death (no joke) if you were an adult. It is still pretty much the same today and the U.S. based Human Rights Watch has referred to Jamaica as “The Most Homophobic Place on Earth”. It certainly doesn’t help that the current Prime Minister has stated that he himself, nor his government, nor Jamaicans on a whole, would accept homosexuality within their society, nor bow to international pressure to recognize gay rights anytime soon.

In addition to the efforts of gay rights activists in targeting anti-homosexual reggae artists, there is also a growing call within the international human rights community to boycott buying products or spending tourist dollars in places that are refered to as “homophobic countries”. I believe these types of boycott are harsh and the wrong approach, as it’s the poor who will be primarily affected and punished by these actions. It would be unfair to claim that every Jamaican supports violence against homosexuals, so they should all be punished for the opinions, songs and actions of a few (a large minority nonetheless). 

I must say that I love all forms of reggae music, including dancehall. I am however very discriminating to what I listen to. There are many positive and “conscious” artists, even in dancehall, so I don’t listen to, buy, go to concerts nor support in any way artists nor music that advocates or encourages any form of violence against anyone. Now I do respect everyone’s right to free speech, just as I accept that there are consequences to speaking freely. One of the consequences is censorship. Although I do listen to Buju’s more positive songs, I would support the boycott and/or cancellation of his shows, if he is using the stage to promote and/or incite violence against homosexuals.

Mitrice Richardson Is Just Another Missing Black Woman

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released twenty four year old Mitrice Richardson at an ungodly hour in the middle of the night from a remote substation. The young black woman, an executive assistant and lived with her grandmother in Los Angeles, was arrested on September 17th from an upscale restaurant in Malibu, about forty miles from her home, when she was presented with the eighty nine dollar check and couldn’t pay. The restaurant staff said she was behaving. They claim that at one point she sat at a table of six other restaurant patrons and engaged them in conversation. That’s really odd because we know people never bother to try and meet other people. And by odd behavior the staff must have been referring to the fact that she was broke. That’s certainly odd to see in a Malibu upscale restaurant. The restaurant manager had to call the police.

When the police arrived, they searched Ms. Richardson’s car and impounded it after finding a small amount of marijuana. Ms. Richardson was arrested for possession of marijuana and not paying her bill. The police took her thirteen miles away to the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff’s station. Her car remained at the restaurant. The young woman was then released at about one o’clock in the morning, without a cell phone or her car, on her own recognizance. She had no transportation and no way to communicate with her family. That was the last time anyone actually heard or saw of her.

Now, more than a week later, the police are still trying to find her. There have been few leads in her disappearance. One resident in a neighborhood several miles away from the sheriff’s station reported seeing a woman meeting Ms. Richardson’s description sleeping on a porch that morning, but nothing else. Ms. Richardson’s parents, along with their lawyer, accuse the police Friday of inconsistencies in their reports and say that Ms. Richardson should never have been released into the middle of the night so helpless. The police created an unsafe situation and handed Ms. Richardson to someone who may have done her harm on a silver platter. The police told the parents that they didn’t operate a baby-sitting service. Police also claimed that there was no room to keep the woman at the jail. But a check of police records show that there was only one other prisoner at the jail that day between 1:30 a.m. and that afternoon. What gives?

According to a statement by Captain Thomas Martin, most of the news stories have focused on her release from custody so early in the morning. But he wants the people to know that the Sheriff’s Station personnel acted appropriately and legally during the entire event. He claims his deputies acted compassionately and did their best to find someone to pay Ms. Richardson’s bill at Geoffrey’s, the restaurant, in an attempt to avoid an arrest. Although her family offered to pay the restaurant over the phone, the restaurant said that they couldn’t process phone call charges. So I guess we’re supposed to believe that the police searched Ms. Richardson’s car thinking they might find the eighty nine dollars in the back seat cushions or something. According to Mr. Martin, when the deputies didn’t find the funds, she was placed under a citizens arrest by the restaurant management and brought to the station for booking.

Mr. Martin went on to say that while Ms. Richardson was at the station, she was allowed to use the phone to call someone to pick her up. When she was unable to find a ride home, she was afforded the opportunity to remain in our custody until morning and leave at her convenience. When she declined, she was offered the lobby for her use all night, but she declined. Once she was processed and found to have no wants or warrants they could no longer legally detain the young black woman for the two pending misdemeanor charges. Mr. Martin says that he has thoroughly examined this incident and found his personnel acted professionally, compassionately, and within the law. But he prays that Ms. Richardson will be found safe and sound.

I find it difficult to believe that the police acted with compassion or professionalism to a black woman acting strangely in one of their posh Malibu restaurants in a predominantly white area by engaging other patrons in conversation. My experience has been that a black person in a predominantly white area is seen as a nothing but trouble. A black person better make sure he or she has their Ts crossed and Is dotted, Xs slashed and Os closed if they want to avoid trouble. The last thing that black people can count on is compassion from the authorities. We’re supposed to believe that the treatment given to Ms. Richardson is some exception to the norm.

So this morning I turn on the news and I don’t hear a peep about the disappearance of Ms. Richardson even though she disappeared over a week ago. What I did hear was more news about the formerly missing Yale student Annie Le. Even though her body was found inside one of the basement walls of the medical building she worked in days ago, she still manages to garner public attention.

The only way I found out about Ms. Richardson is a hookup from Dark Frosty, a visitor to my blog who sent me to Monie on the Outside. Obviously Ms. Richardson’s story just doesn’t meet the minimum standard necessary to become a national sensation for some reason. The compassion that the deputies of Malibu are supposed to have just isn’t reflected in our national community. A missing black woman just doesn’t pique our interests. It appears that if the black community wants to get the word out about this young black woman we are going to have to do it ourselves.

The Great African Scandal

This very informative documentary is by Robert Beckford on his fact finding visit to Ghana and the “new” colonization of Africa.

“What has been shall be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

sat’day riddymz

“When AU blessed and honoured a terrorist” by Nkwazi N. Mhango

The report that Ali al-Megrahi, the alleged Lockerbie bomber (released recently on the grounds of poor health), received ovation from African Members of Parliament in Libya is disgusting and shameful. The 57-year-old was serving a life sentence in Greenock prison for the 1988 bombing of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, which killed 270 people.

The speaker of AU parliament, Idriss Ndele Moussa from Chad, said he and his colleagues had come to “express solidarity”. To express solidarity! Alas… this is but criminal solidarity. He’s quoted as saying that Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was a “… victim of international injustice and a policy of double standards”.

Legally speaking, al-Megrahi is a terrorist. Giving him a standing ovation is nothing but condoning terrorism and yawing. What AU’s MPs did is conspiracy so to speak. They don’t see the danger today. Time will come when this new marriage with terrorism will flail.

Why did such a respected institution behave this way in the first place? The reason is simple. By attending 40th Anniversary of Gadaffi’s revolution, they’re given gifts; yum-yum even kickbacks that geared them show such suicidal solidarity. Today, in supporting Gadaffi, they’re openly honouring a convict terrorist! Tomorrow they’ll likewise issue a statement supporting even al-Qaeda before the whole outfit flail.

Their presidents recently backed Sudanese Dictator Omar Bashir, who is wanted by ICC for genocide in Darfur. Let’s not to forget how they cowed down before Robert Mugabe. What pains, the same countries whose presidents and MPs support terrorism, are the same creatures spending much time in European capitals begging! What I just can’t understand is: why are rich countries being so sheepish and timid before such double faced creatures of Africa?

By backing al-Megrahi, Gadaffi has shown openly how he’s relegating back to financing terrorism, after getting the support from Hugo Chavez among others. Those who know why Gadaffi denounced terrorism and became a “good boy” before the West, still remember. He backtracked after seeing what goons like Saddam Hussein got from their megalomania. Now that the heat is off, Gadaffi daydreams about going back.

Gadaffi is lucky that tough guys like George Bush are no longer in power,  otherwise, he’d be manacled and taught a lesson. He’d have been held accountable for this new take on terrorism, despite all parody of bringing him back to the fold.

Beatrice Acheleke Honored with The 2009 World Diversity Leadership Summit “Freedom and Justice” Award

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2009 World Diversity Leadership Summit Freedom and Justice Award, AFRA, Beatrice Ahceleke, Black European Women's Council

Beatrice Acheleke, founder and leader of the Black European Women’s Council was honored at the 2009 World Diversity Leadership Summit this month in Washington, DC. Ms. Acheleke is a mother, executive director of AFRA, a non-profit, non governmental self-organisation and NGO of Black Women with headquarters in Vienna, Austria, and an inspiration to Black women everywhere.

Previous honorees include Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic and leader of the Czech Velvet Revolution against Communist Rule.

The World Diversity Leadership Summit conference is the world’s leading gathering of senior corporate executives, leading experts and policymakers focused on global and local diversity best practices. Conference partners included some of the largest and most respected companies and media outlets n the world.

The AfroSpear community is proud to know Beatrice and have her as a member of our global community! We salute you and congratulate you!

This is a test… this is only a test!

Last week I was away from home for a few days attending a meeting in another city. I stayed at a hotel, an international chain, which is known to cater to government officials and business people. The morning I was checking out, there was no customer service person at the counter. A moment later another guest, a White male, also came to the counter wanting to check out also. I was dressed in business casual attire, while this other guest was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. Where I was standing, I was directly in line with the office doorway where the hotel employee would have to exit to approach the counter, so I would therefore be the first person they would see. Until they reached the counter, they would not have seen the other guest. After a couple minutes, an employee exited the office, saw me standing there, smiled and said “good morning” while approaching to serve me. As she approached the counter, she saw the White male to my right and made a detour right over to him and asked if she could assist him. He pointed to me and informed her that I was there waiting before him. She then walked back over to me and asked what I wanted.

Last week, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter caused quite a stir when he claimed that “an overwhelming proportion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, he’s African-American.” Now I don’t know if this is true or not. What I observe from my perch in the Great White North, that is known as Canada, is that the intense health care debate south of our border, as well as most or “an overwhelming proportion” of the fierce opposition to President Obama’s goals, particularly from within his own party, is more complicated than just putting it down to simply “racism”. However, from my life experiences and observations, race is certainly a factor… an everyday unquestionable and unavoidable factor… in how Black people are perceived, regarded and treated by the wider White society… especially subconsciously!

Now I would not claim that the hotel employee was a “racist” (maybe she is, I don’t know her personally), nor that I was the victim of a “racist” incident.  Her actions didn’t appear to even be a conscious decision on her part. She didn’t look at me … and then at the White guest… and then stop and say to herself: “I will serve the White guest before the Black guest”. In fact, I would describe her movement from me to him as being “hypnotic”… it was as if she was “conditioned” to react in a certain way to specific stimuli. It appeared that once she saw a white face, her eyes glazed over and I ceased to exist. She even appeared a little startled, like it was the first time she was seeing me, when he pointed to me and informed her that I was there.

In the Section where I work, I am the only Black person out of approximately 20 people. Within the Bureau that my Section is attached to, again I am the only Black person, although there are a couple other “people of color”… aka “brown people”… out of about 120 people in the Bureau. I have been given the opportunity to be a supervisor within and manager of my Section. In these roles, I have had my opinions and decisions questioned and even challenged openly by some of my White collegaues, including other supervisors and managers, in ways that I have never seen experienced by other White supervisors and managers. There is an underlying, I would even refer to it as a “conditioned” lack of respect, civility and adhering to protocol in regards to Black leaders by White subordinates and/or peers, which manifests itself in various ways, sometimes subtly, sometimes in uncontrollable outbursts such as the: “you lie!” outburst by Republican South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson, during President Obama’s address to both houses of Congress.  

The problem with Jimmy Carter’s statement is that it’s true… but not in the way he meant it. It’s a blessing and a curse. This is the problem when White people speak as some sort of self-anointed authority or expert on issues of race, which they haven’t experienced nor perceived… which they can’t understand nor articulate… from our point of view! These so-called “white liberals or progressives”, in most cases fail to see and/or acknowledge their own “white privilege” and it’s contribution to the subtler forms of white supremacy thinking and behaviour… and even if they are that aware and honest, they rarely will give up this “privilege” for the benefit of their Black brothers and sisters. 

That is why Obama can flippantly dismiss Carter’s statement. While some of the opposition to President Obama is certainly based solely on racism, those are easier to discredit and discount, although they may still pose a danger. However, most of the opposition is a conditioned (dare I say subconscious) reaction to his race. Subtle difference true, but this is more insidious and therefore more dangerous. This is what is more difficult to discredit, discount, address, much less fight against.

If I called the hotel employee or any of my White colleagues “racists” and told them that their actions stemmed from “racism”, they would reject it outright, tell me that they grew up with Black people, that they have many Black friends and how they sponsor a child in Africa through World Vision or their church mission program. On the other hand, if I tried to explain to them that they were “conditioned” to react towards me (and by extension other Black people) based on the color of my skin… due to white supremacy thinking… and that they would certainly treat me differently if I were White, they would look at me as if I had 3 heads, spoke gibberish and came from Uranus!

When President Obama states that “race” isn’t an issue in the health care debate, or that criticism of him is not based on the “color of his skin”, it is this influencing factor of “race” within the wider (whiter) society that he’s really attempting to discount. Although politically advantageous in the short term, in this he is wrong… and he knows it… which in some ways, ironically does make him a “l..r”.  

I have linked this Harvard Implicit Association Test here before, which supposedly calculates biases and indicates preferences based on factors such as skin-tone and race. Follow the links to the “demonstration tests” and then proceed. I wouldn’t assert that it’s conclusions provides an accurate profile in any way, but it’s an interesting quiz to take.                      

sat’day riddymz

Usually I don’t add any commentary with the sat’day riddymz post. Usually I don’t watch the Oprah Winfrey show either. However, my wife convinced me to watch the Oprah interview with Whitney Houston and I must say that I was captivated as I watched. Although I was never a big Whitney fan and never got caught up in following the drama of her and Bobby Brown, I was impressed by her honesty as she discussed the details of her ordeal. What I found most interesting was that despite Oprah’s best efforts, Whitney never blamed nor demonized Bobby, she took responsibility for her decisions and behaviour and stated that she had “no regrets” of how her life had gone. In fact she commented that all she went through… the good, the bad and the ugly… it all had made her a stronger and better person and mother. 

Her performance of the song below was truly inspirational.