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| Beenie Man | |
New York, USA, July 13, 2006 - It was billed as a concert to help raise much-needed funds to fight the dreaded disease, HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean community. But yesterday organizers of the Reggae Gold Live concert backed off from holding the event after gay activists threatened to protest the inclusion in the line-up of reggae acts, Beenie Man and T.O.K, whom they claim are homophobes.
In a statement yesterday, LIFEbeat, which was producing the event in association with Tonya Lewis and J.P. Taylor of E.A.R.S. Entertainment Group and Power 105.1 FM, announced the cancellation of the July 18 concert at New York's Webster Hall, stating, "...the possibility of violence at the concert from the firestorm incited by a select group of activists makes canceling the event the only responsible action."
They, however, called it "very unfortunate," since the Caribbean American community needs help "in bringing attention to this unspoken and often stigmatized illness." According to a recent UNAIDS reports, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 24,000 lives in the Caribbean in 2005, making it the leading cause of death among adults aged 15-44 years. A total of 300,000 people are currently living with HIV in the region, including 30,000 people who became infected in 2005.
Wayne Wonder, Sasha, Tanto Metro & Devonte, Ding Dong, and Kulcha Don as well hip-hop star, Foxy Brown, were all set to perform at the event, the first-ever all Reggae HIV/Awareness concert. Beenie, in a statement on the concert prior to yesterday's cancellation had stated, "HIV/AIDS is a serious threat to the black and West Indian communities. Hip-Hop and Reggae is the voice that speaks to and for our community. I'm proud to lend my voice to fighting the spread of AIDS through the LIFEbeat concert."
But gay activists have pointed to Beenie's past songs as evidence of homophobia. Other dancehall acts, including Buju Banton, Sizzla and TOK have also been labeled homophobes. A recent performance by Banton in the southern English seaside resort of Brighton, England was cancelled under threat of protests and a planned concert performance by Beenie, set initially for July 29 at the Bournemouth International Center, has also been cancelled with police raising concerns over the "violent and homophobic nature of song lyrics."
Both Banton and Beenie as well as the Jamaican music fraternity, has remained silent on the recent criticisms and forced cancellations, stirred largely by UK-based gay rights group, OutRage. (Hardbeatnews.com)
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