Question new parliamentarians
PHILIPSBURG--The number of parents who have been contacting The Daily Herald with concerns about the Jamaican singer Vybz Kartel's concert scheduled to be held at the St. Maarten Festival Village at the end of October is growing by the day.
The popular yet controversial dancehall star is scheduled to perform on October 30. His shows typically are not mild in nature, with profanity and insult a large part of his style of dancehall.
Kartel has been banned from performing in certain other Caribbean countries due to the extremity of his music lyrics and the effect they have been having on the youths of those countries. Kartel has been banned so far by Grenada, Guyana, Barbados and, most recently, by St. Lucia.
St. Maarten parents have questioned why government would award a permit to organisers to stage a show with an artist banned in other Caribbean destinations. Moreover, they pointed to the "Gaza" crew to which Kartel is allegedly connected, which has been dubbed a "criminal gang" in Jamaica.
The birth of "Gaza" and "Gully" crews in Jamaica came about as a by-product of a feud between Kartel and another dancehall artist "Mavado," with the latter claiming to be part of the "Gully" gang.
Jamaican authorities decided to take a closer look at the so-called Gaza-Gully feud after it started spreading in schools and taking over communities in Jamaica. However, Kartel and Mavado publicly described their feud as entertainment, with Kartel saying he couldn't be held responsible for what people did with his music.
Parents in St. Maarten also chided the promoters for not having an age limit for the show and government for not requiring an age limit for entrance. Additionally, parents pointed out that one of the main attractions for the show was an appearance by working girls of the Bada Bing strip club.
The promoters reportedly have been selling the show as "clean," stating that an agreement is in place with Kartel to keep the show clean.
"How clean will a show be with strippers on parade?" one parent asked. "The last time women from these clubs were out in public they embar****ed a local telephone company. Is it even legal for them to perform or appear anywhere outside of the establishment?"
"What are we coming to in this community? When do we say enough is enough? You can say we have a role as parents, but you have a role as government as well. You have to stop certain elements from entering this island and further influencing our youth," resident Joshua Henry said. "So all the new parliamentarians who talk about our youth, this is your time to deliver and not just deliver nice words. That performer should be banned from St. Maarten as well."
Promoters of the event could not be reached on Tuesday.
