Who next?

Who next indeed. Speculation has been rife within the industry since last week, when it came to light that the US visas of Bounty Killer, Mavado, Beenie Man, Aidonia and selector Ricky Trooper were in the process of being cancelled.  The news reverberated  through the industry, sending shock waves felt by a small army of booking agents, promoters, artistes and their entourages.

This move has crippled the reggae and dancehall industry. This is psychological, emotional and financial warfare. I dont know the motivation behind this move but I fear it has its roots in politics and the First World powers are sending us a message, one well-known booking agent told one876.  Do you know how many thousands of US dollars the industry is going to lose now? Promoters overseas are going to take a beating too, show cancellations, deposits lost, advertising dollars wasted...this is a disaster.

Last week, the  Fraud Prevention Arm of the United States Embassy in Kingston announced that the visas of Bounty Killer, Mavado, Beenie Man, Aidonia and selector Ricky Trooper were in the process of being cancelled.

A release sent to the media summarily announced:

"The Embassy of the United States in Kingston, Jamaica, is in the process of revoking the visas of the following citizens of Jamaica. The people mentioned here currently hold a US visa that we have not yet been able to physically cancel. Do not allow these passengers to board any flights bound for the United States in reliance on this visa.

The names of the artistes with the exception of Aidonia --  are then mentioned twice, along with the reference number tied to the visas. The names are Moses Anthony Davis (Beenie Man); Garfield Augustus McKoy (Ricky Trooper),Sheldon Ricardo Aitana Lawrence, (Aidonia); David Brooks (Mavado); and Rodney Basil Price (Bounty Killer).

One876 contacted Freddie McGregor, the chairman of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JARIA), who commiserated with the plight of the artistes.

These artistes play a great role in our industry and this development is worrying. It hurts me to see this happen to my fellow co-workers and peers because it curtails their ability to earn as artistes, Mr. McGregor said.

He also expressed regret that the artistes were not members of JARIA.

I can only represent JARIA artistes so if it were Assassin or Queen Ifrica, then wed jump on it, and try to get the facts. As it stands now, we cannot put out a statement because we are not privy to certain information, we dont know why the visas have been cancelled. We cannot foolishly get up and lobby without finding out what has created the situation in the first place, Mr. McGregor said.

The artiste managers of the deejays could not give any comment because they claimed they would be seeking legal counsel to remedy the situation, and did not want to prejudice their cases.

According to the US immigration website, the fact that a visa has been revoked may or may not indicate something negative about the visa holder. A consular officer will revoke a visa when he or she determines that the alien is ineligible to receive a visa or enter the United States for health, criminal, security, or other serious reasons; the alien no longer qualifies for the particular visa;the alien has been issued an immigrant visa (IV); or  the visa has been physically removed from the passport in which it was issued.

Further, a consular officer can only revoke a visa on the basis of such a determination if the traveler is outside the United States, or if his or her whereabouts are unknown.

Major shows such as Best of the Best, held over the Memorial Day weekend in Miami every May and the annual Irie Jamboree which is held in New York will also be affected by the loss of the pulling power of these major stars. Beenie Man missed out on two shows over the weekend, two on the same day, a show in Orlando and another in West Palm Beach.