Dancehall’s Proliferation of Homophobia
Sizzla, and much of dancehall culture, incites grotesque homophobic violence.
The 32nd annual Reggae on the River music festival will be held this year in Garberville, California and headlined by Jamaican dancehall artist Sizzla Kalonji; here is why you should care.
You may have heard of the term “dancehall” becoming increasing popular in current music. Dancehall is a genre of music originating in Jamaica, it is very similar to reggae in all but it’s beat structure which is exactly double that of reggae. In layman’s terms, Dancehall is that “Caribbean flow” that Rihanna’s Work, Drake’s One Dance or anything Sean Paul has ever done have. They aren't alone either, as many other artist are making music inspired by the Jamaican genre.
This isn't the first emergence of dancehall in mainstream radio play. Sizzla, a huge dancehall artist in Jamaica, found international success outside the country and even went to organise a UK tour back in 2004.[1] Unfortunately, it seems that we have forgotten why those concerts never ended up happening.
Sizzla, and much of dancehall culture, incites grotesque homophobic violence.
The Problem
In his song Pump Up, Sizzla opens the third verse by saying; “fire fi di man dem weh go ride man behind.” Other lyrics include; “shot batty bwoy my big gun go boom.” (Batty bwoy is a derogatory term for gay men in Jamaican patois.) “Boom boom! Batty Bwoy dem fi dead.” “Mi a go shot batty bwoy dem widdie weapons ya”. These lyrics are not just hate speech, but a call to murder.
This isn't a problem only one artist has either. Many of dancehall’s most prominent figures have equally horrendous lyrics. In Damn, Beenie Man says “I’m dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays.” In A Nuh Fi Wi Fault, Elephant Man boasts “Battyman fi dead! Please mark we word/Gimme tha tech-nine, shoot dem like bird.” In Boom Bye Bye, Buju Banton bases the entire chorus of his song on the murder of gay men; “Boom bye bye inna batty bwoy head/rude bwoy no promote no nasty man/dem haffi dead”. To quote but a few.
Dancehall is also more than just a genre, but a cultural event. It get’s its name from the dancehalls where it is often performed. In other words, the Jamaican equivalent of a night out clubbing.
The Culture
The ease at which these transparently homophobic lyrics are simply accepted by Jamaican culture speaks bounds on the country’s attitude to homophobia. In 2006, The Times called Jamaica “the most homophobic place on earth.”[2] In 2012, the United States Department of State said that “homophobia was widespread in the country.”[3] And still to this date, sexual acts between men are illegal.
Dr Keon West, a psychology lecture at Goldsmiths University of London, set out to discover the origins of the country’s homophobia, and in 2014 published the largest piece of research of its kind on the matter. He interviewed 2,000 people across 40 communities in Jamaica looking for predictors of anti-gay bias.[4] When writing for The Guardian about his findings he said the following;
“As in other countries, wealth, education and (younger) age were associated with less anti-gay prejudice. Religiosity, which is often the reason offered by anti-gay lobbyists, also predicted more anti-gay bias. However, it was neither the strongest nor the most reliable predictor. When all the factors were taken into account simultaneously, the two that were most reliable were a preference for dancehall music, and gender.”[5]
He later concludes that; “This research provides the first empirical evidence that these songs may be harmful, leading to more negative attitudes and anti-social behaviour.”
In 2013 the Human Rights Watch published an 86 page report entitled; “Not Safe at Home: Violence and Discrimination Against LGBT People in Jamaica” In it, 56 cases of violence due to sexual orientation and perceived gender identity were documented. 19 of the victims reported the crimes, formal statements were taken for 8, and arrest made for 4. In the most tragic of cases, the article on the report speaks of the case of Devon O, a pseudonym used for his protection.
In January 2013, police stood by and watched while a crowd of about 30 people — shouting insults regarding his sexual orientation and armed with knives, machetes and sticks — beat him for about 20 minutes. He said police finally removed him from the crowd and placed him in a police van but then handcuffed and beat him.[6]
Needless to say, homophobia is deeply rooted in Jamaican culture, and a lot of its modern proliferation can be traced back to dancehall music. Sizzla, at the time, was eventually asked to apologize for his lyrics to which he said,
“They can’t ask me to apologize. They've got to apologize to God because they break God’s law.”[7]
The Outcry
The Stop Murder Music campaign was set up in 2004 and jointly run by UK LGBT activist groups OutRage!, Black Gay Men’s Advisory Group as well as Jamaican LGBT group J-Flag. They campaigned in the UK to prevent the performance of many dancehall artists, all aforementioned. The campaign lasted for 3 years, and inspired many high-profile boycotts, costing the artists a combined revenue loss estimated at £2.5Million.[8] The culmination of the campaign was the creation of the Reggae Compassionate Act, which the artists are expected to “respect and uphold the rights of all individuals to live without violence due to their religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or gender.”[9] The movement considered the act a breakthrough at the time of its signing, and no more than three months later, it was reported that artists had already violated its treaties.
Even if the Stop Murder Music campaigned didn't accomplish much when it comes to the publishing and creation of the homophobic music, it did create a conversation on the matter and enough media buzz that controversy would follow Sizzla’s career for years to follow. In 2007, he cancelled shows in Toronto. In 2008, he was denied visa for 29 European countries after a German LGBT group appealed to their government. In 2009, Pepsi was pressured to drop their support for one of his shows in Uganda. (Seen by many as a double offence due to Ugandan LGBT laws.) In 2012, his show in Stockholm was cancelled after crowds condemned the artist.[10]
Nonetheless, the homophobia continued. When another Jamaican artist was criticised over her lyrics “no faggotism”, Sizzla was quick to take her side. He defended her right of expression, saying that as a woman she has an obligation to not let the kids be exposed to homosexuality. Later suggesting that the lifestyle should be burnt with fire. Later, during the 2013 Sting festival, with an estimated audience of 315 million, he dedicated more than a minute of his set to an extended homophobic rhyme;
I don’t care who want vex, Jamaica no support no same sex…
I don’t care who want vex, Africa no support no same [sex]…
Them say, “Sizzla, you sing too much anti-gay lyrics.”
Me just read the bible and get away with lyrics….
Burn out the lesbian, burn out the gays with the lyrics.
I don’t care who want vex, rastaman no support no same sex.
Dem a tell me bout “free speech,”
so me tell de raper man dem fe leave de beach.
And me tell the pedophile dem flee the creech.
Tell de lesbian dem flee de street
and the battyman [screaming] [11]
The Future
Which brings us back to the beginning of the story. Sizzla has just been announced as the headlining artist at the 32nd Reggae on the River concert event in California later this year. 12 years later, event organizers are still trying to book Sizzla, and Sizzla is still making music. Apparently, when it comes to homophobia it is easier to hope people forget instead of forgiving.
The good news is than in these 12 years a new wave of progressivism is emerging in Jamaica. The new political administration has shown interest in appealing the buggery laws. The first ever pride event has been hosted on the Island. And, artist like Mista Majah P, are being hailed as ground-breaking by writing pro-gay reggae and dancehall music.[12] Yet, there is still a long way to go until LGBT rights are established in the country. Viceland’s GAYCATION, does an excellent study of the current levels of LGBT directed hatred that can be current experienced in Jamaica, on their episode of the subject, and I highly recommend you watch it.
In the end, one can only hope that in the very near future, music will be used as a tool for unison instead of hatred.
Sources
“BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Ban threat aborts Sizzla UK tour.” 2004. 21 May. 2016 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3977791.stm>
“The Most Homophobic Place on Earth? — TIME.” 2013. 21 May. 2016 <http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1182991,00.html>
“jamaica 2012 human rights report — US Department of State.” 2013. 21 May. 2016 <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/204673.pdf>
“Why do so many Jamaicans hate gay people? | Keon West | Opinion …” 2014. 21 May. 2016 <http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/06/jamaica-music-anti-gay-dancehall-homophobia>
“Jamaica: Unchecked Homophobic Violence | Human Rights Watch.” 2014. 21 May. 2016 <https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/10/21/jamaica-unchecked-homophobic-violence>
“Pride and prejudice — The Guardian.” 2013. 21 May. 2016 <http://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/dec/10/gayrights.popandrock>
“Beenie Man, Sizzla and Capleton renounce homophobia | Music | The …” 2013. 21 May. 2016 <http://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jun/14/news.rosieswash>
“Reggae acts renounce homophobia | NME.COM.” 2007. 21 May. 2016 <http://www.nme.com/news/beenie-man/28928>
“Reggae artist Sizzla’s Swedish concert cancelled over … — Pink News.” 2012. 21 May. 2016 <http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/03/19/sweden-cancels-reggae-artist-sizzlas-concert-over-anti-gay-lyrics/>
“Jamaican Dancehall Star Sizzla Banned From Music … — BuzzFeed.” 2014. 21 May. 2016 <http://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/jamaican-dancehall-star-sizzla-banned-from-music-festival-fo>
“Jamaica homophobia: Hail reggae singer Mista Majah P’s lone …” 2015. 21 May. 2016 <http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/jamaica-homophobia-hail-reggae-singer-mista-majah-ps-lone-crusade-against-batty-bwoy-hatred-1494556>
