On Sunday, Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, said, “We do not need lyrics that promote violence in this region.” He had been speaking at the 46th regular meeting of Caricom heads in Georgetown, Guyana. “We in Guyana have taken a conscious decision in ensuring we invest in culture as a tool and a mechanism of unifying our people and as a tool and mechanism of telling the story of who we are as a people,” he said, adding, “As leaders of this region, we have to take this situation very seriously and ensure the lyrics of the region are the lyrics of Bob Marley, the lyrics of positivity and the lyrics of positive living and positive change. We must take this responsibility on today.”
On Wednesday, Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley said, “The general consensus is that art, including music, has an effect on the human form and the human condition. And if the expression of that art, that music, is one that promotes and glorifies negative in the form of violence, then clearly it ought to be condemned.” He however made it clear that he does not believe that banning the music altogether, is the solution. “To ban something is simply to make it more attractive to those who would want to use it. In today’s technological world, you can’t ban something like that, because you might say you don’t want it on TTT, you don’t want it in a public space, but social media will make sure it’s available to all who want it.”
Deejay Punz on Thursday afternoon took to social media to share his view on the matter, posting an image that read, “ONLY GOD CAN STOP TRINIBAD AND UNTIL GOD TELL ME STOP TRINIBAD TO D WORLD.” Commenters beneath his statement stood in agreement with him.
The issue is one that has been a topic of consistent debate in Trinidad and Tobago. Several artistes aligned to the movement have lost their lives as a result of gun violence, among them, Rebel Sixx and Wacko Dan.
