As reported in the Jamaican Gleaner on Sunday, Ronald Jones, the minister of education and human resource development, said the heavy diet of dancehall artistes performing in Barbados is an overkill and doing more harm than good.
"Even though we share the same Caribbean space, it does not mean we have to welcome everybody. Vybz Kartel and Mavado can stay in Jamaica," Jones said.
His statement came a day after the country's police commissioner denied the notorious Jamaican artistes permission to perform in the Caribbean nation.
"As a country, we must say enough is enough," the Barbados Nation quoted the minister as having said.
"This is Barbados. It must not go down the path of some other Caribbean societies. If reaching First-World status means we have to embrace all and sundry, then let us keep the status that we have," Jones added, according to the Nation.
The education minister said there was a linkage between dancehall music and some of the increasingly aggressive behaviour exhibited by young people in Barbados.
"Barbados is becoming loud, and some of our people are becoming uncaring, uncharitable. There are places in the Caribbean that they don't want Barbadians to come anymore. There are planes in the Caribbean that don't want to transport Barbadians to and from here. What is that saying?
"It is saying that we are loud and aggressive, but it is part and parcel of the diet that we are being fed as a people and as a nation. People like the music, so be it. But we don't need the transplantation of all the negativity that comes around that genre of music," Jones said.
This is a bold statement and I'm sure does not represent everyone in the country. I must say it makes sense however. Especially right now when artist "badmonism" is at a all time high with the recent happenings between Vybz Kartel and Black Rhyno. I understand that when Mavado first became ever popular he was being blamed for a large percentage of criminal activity in Jamaica, but, is it me or hasn't Mavado surpassed that stage? I definitely do not look at Vybz Kartel and Mavado in the same social category especially when it comes to promoting violence. Something tells me this will not last very long, because these very artist generate substantial income for the country and we all know MONEY TALKS.
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