Cabinet Ministers step in to ease Gully-Gaza tension

Discussions with Mavado, whose real name is David Brooks, and Adijah ‘Vybz Kartel’ Palmer, involved Minister with responsibility for information, Daryl Vaz (pictured above); Minister of Education Andrew Holness; Security Minister Dwight Nelson; representa

KINGSTON, Jamaica, December 9, 2009 – Three Cabinet Ministers have stepped in to broker a truce in the Gully/Gaza rivalry between Jamaican reggae artistes Mavado and Vybz Kartel that has led to violence between both sets of fans.

At the end of the meeting at Jamaica House, a five-pronged approach was put forward to end the feud.

Discussions with Mavado, whose real name is David Brooks, and Adijah ‘Vybz Kartel’ Palmer, involved Minister with responsibility for information, Daryl Vaz; Minister of Education Andrew Holness; Security Minister Dwight Nelson; representatives of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports; and heads of the Peace Management Initiative and the National Transformation Programme.

Vaz said that among the plans are “a paint-out day both in the schools and in all the communities across Jamaica which will be dealing with the Gaza/Gully graffiti and other graffiti that has become unsightly and is, in fact, inciting further tensions”.

He said a joint song appealing to supporters of both artistes to leave the competition to them and to keep the violence and intimidation out of the streets, will also be done.

Vybz supported the move: "The collaboration is afoot and people need to know that David and I have never had any personal animosity over the years. People just took things out of context, especially impressionable minds, so this is a good move by the Government," he said.

He and Mavado will also perform at a peace concert to be arranged in conjunction with both artistes and the Ministry of Youth and Culture.

Other suggestions include the creation of a T-shirt with both artistes' image and a slogan which will be used to reduce the negative vibes.

Mavado argued that the conflict between his Gully side and Kartel’s Gaza was created by fans, and not them.

"Me and Vybz were not really enemies…It's just about music. The fans take it to a next level," he said.