Well, the Jamaica Broadcasting Commission's (JBC's) ban on lewd and violent music, took effect last Friday night.
(This is as a result of numerous complaints from Jamaicans as to the proliferation of lewd and violent music on Jamaican airwaves...especially the two most-recent songs from Deejays Vybz Cartel and Spice).
All stations airing music "not fit for airplay" will not be allowed bleep out "offensive" words...If there is any "offensive" content, in a song, then that song will be automatically banned.
The JBC has started with radio stations, and DanceHall Music, much to the ire of popular DanceHall artists like Vybz Cartel (Cartel) who think that the JBC's move is hypocritical.
Cartel's view is that calypso music, which contains equally sexually-explicit content, should also be banned.
The Dancehall Deejay twin duo, Twins of Twins, also call the Jamaica Broadcasting Commission, hypocritical.
They rightly point out that these songs should also be banned on minibuses and route taxis, - the more effective conduits of dancehall music, to inner city and disadvantaged youths.
The JBC claims it has no control over these vehicles (conduits) and that the bodies responsible for them, should ban the offensive songs, accordingly.
But will this ban on lewd and violent music be effective?...I say yes for probably 50% of the time that music is aired to the Jamaican populace, via radio and television.
Unfortunately, the JBC cannot ban parents from playing these songs in their homes, in their cars and in their communities at community dances - also very effective conduits of these "offensive" songs.
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What we need in Jamaica is more adults who can censor themselves...
Adults who will realize that to expose their young children to lewd and explicit music, thus making them prematurely ready and aware of sex and violent acts, is wrong.
Until this happens, the JBC will continue to have an uphill struggle against "the popular DanceHall culture."
- A culture that oftentimes exposes our youth to the crudest aspects of human existence, and that,instead of creating youth who can think their way out of problems, create youth who are problem-creators, due to them carrying out the violent sexual and gun acts, glorified in these DanceHall songs.
Nuff said. (Jamaican,meaning,"enough has been said").
(I would like to thank grimjaw for the use of his Flickr inset photo above).
Gillian
Sources Include
1) Television Jamaica, News at 7:00 p.m., February 9,2009
2) CVM Television, News at 8:00 p.m., February 9,2009
3) Article, "Educators blast ramping shop", Go-Jamaica.com, February 4, 2009
