| California gay lobby battles Buju shows |
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Buju Banton is facing stiff resistance from Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transsexual lobbyists. |
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Following the recent cancellation of a planned show at the Highlands club in Los Angeles, deejay Buju Banton is also facing stiff resistance from Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transsexual (GLBT) lobbyists in the northern California city of Oakland.
After beginning promotions for the Buju Banton show at the Highlands, several members of the gay community bombarded the Highlands nightclub management until they cancelled the show. Apparently, the general manager was presented with enough material to support their claim.
Reports on the website of Bay Area promoters Johnathan Mack Presents are that the mayor's office in Oakland, in an apparent move to appease the GLBT lobby, has denied the promoters a permit for a planned Buju Banton show, a show which the promoters say they had already moved from San Francisco.
The report cites a written communiqué from Vice-Mayor Nancy Nadel saying the performance was being denied because "the concert didn't have a special events permit.
When an artiste is controversial and promotes violence, promoters are required to apply for a special events permit to assure we have police on site and we cannot get that police coverage at this late date due to a shortage of officers. There are several GLBT venues near this concert venue and we must be sure that no possible fanatic followers might try to harm them."
The promotions team of QBwoy and DJ White Lightning, who were putting on the Highlands show, are set to bring Banton to another LA nightclub, the Century Club tomorrow night (Oct 3). The duo has been producing several Reggae clubs weekly throughout Los Angeles in the last 10 years.
The apparent conflict between reggae-dancehall acts and homosexual communities in many of the major US and European cities that they visit has been raging since the early 1990s success of Banton and Shabba Ranks first sparked a reaction from gay activist groups. Since then, several artistes have had overseas dates cancelled as these groups bring pressure to bear on local authorities.
Also, global companies which sponsor music festivals and tours that feature reggae artistes have sought to exclude or at least limit the presence of reggae-dancehall artistes if such artistes have material that may be deemed to incite murder or otherwise be offensive to homosexuals.
The promoters are contending that many artistes' lyrics "are misconstrued for violent encouragements that simply do not exist but are taken at face value due to those whose mission seems to be to bury Reggae music under the rug. Part of the misunderstanding is largely due to the fact that those who are told certain sentiments exist are not equally enlightened to the realities that is culturally embedded to the lush, tranquil island and spirit of Jamaica."
Banton, who is touring in support of his latest disc, Too Bad, has been joined on the tour by Assassin and up-and-comer New Kidz. |
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Posted by: Hacki
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| LINK:
www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20061001... |
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