Germain, left, and Smith
Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
A LEADING entertainment figure says racism is at the root of an ultimatum by six corporate companies to withdraw their sponsorship from live shows unless dancehall performers tone down the violent nature of some of their songs.
Donovan Germain, head of Penthouse Records and long-time manager of deejay Buju Banton, told The Sunday Gleaner last week that management at the six companies Cable and Wireless, Courts, Digicel, J Wray and Nephew, Pepsi-Cola Jamaica Limited and Red Stripe were influenced by the actions of British gay rights activist, Peter Tatchell, who has dogged the genre in the past three months, accusing its acts of encouraging violence against homosexuals.
"Corporate Jamaica is reacting to what a white man in England says and they are acting at the beck and and call of Mr. Tatchell," said Mr. Germain. "Racism is involved."
The companies released a joint statement on October 1 stating their displeasure with the violent message of some dancehall acts.
They said unless the local music industry cleans up its image future sponsorship of major events could not be guaranteed. Mr. Germain described the action as "heavy-handed".
"I think as a mark of respect they should have called a meeting with members of the music industry which has served them also because the relationship between us is mutually beneficial," he pointed out.
But Harry Smith, marketing manager at Digicel, the Irish cellular company, said that although most of that company's major shareholders are from Ireland there was no pressure from executives abroad to address the dancehall/gay issue.
"Nobody there contacted me or other executives at Digicel," stated Mr. Smith, who said Mr. Germain was misinformed. "If he read the statement he would see it mentions nothing about homosexuals, it speaks against violence. We cannot sit back and allow Jamaica to become a simile for violence."
He said executives of the companies are scheduled to meet soon with their counterparts in the music industry and Government officials to discuss some of the proposals they made in the statement.
Promoters throughout Europe and the United States have been forced to cancel shows by heavyweight dancehall acts including Buju Banton, Beenie Man and Capleton in recent weeks due to protests by gay rights groups.
Mr. Germain says seven dates on Banton's recent 32-city European tour were cancelled, while promoters in California pulled the plug on several shows featuring Capleton and singer Cocoa Tea after rigid demonstrations against their appearance at high-profile venues such as the House of Blues.
In June, the British gay group Outrage!, of which Mr. Tatchell is a principal, came out strongly against a scheduled performance by Beenie Man at a London club, saying some of his songs had a distinct anti-gay message. The show was cancelled.
The following month, Beenie Man issued an apology to the gay community through Virgin Records, the record company to which he is signed.
But gay groups scoffed at the statement, saying the deejay was trying to save his career.
Beenie Man, who is currently touring the United States, was dropped by organisers of the MTV Music Awards show in Miami in September.
