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September 19, 2007
Nicholas Keung
IMMIGRATION/DIVERSITY REPORTER
A human rights coalition is urging Ottawa to ban two Jamaican dancehall artists from coming to Canada to perform music it says incites violence against gays and lesbians.
O'Neil Bryan, a.k.a. Elephant Man, and Miguel Collins, known as Sizzla, are known for their antigay lyrics, said the Toronto-based Canadian Caribbean Human Rights Group.
Bryan is scheduled to arrive and perform in Winnipeg Thursday to launch a 12-city Canadian tour. He and Collins are also booked by Toronto's Kool Haus on Queens Quay on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 respectively.
"Compared to these two, (rapper) Eminem is much less expressive in inciting violence and murder," said Akim Larcher, a spokesperson for the Stop Murder Music campaign, which is supported by more than 20 community groups.
"Artists have the right to free speech, but their presence in Canada can be perceived as a licence to incite violence. Canada has banned anti-Jew, anti-black people from entering the country. This should be no different."
The group said the offensive lyrics include lines such as "********************man fi dead! Tek dem by surprise," "Log on and step pon chi chi man" and "Shot ********************bwoy, my big gun boom." (********************man and ********************bwoy are derogatory terms for gay men in Jamaican patois.)
According to Gareth Williams, of the Jamaica-based advocacy group J-FLAG, Bryan and Collins use music as an instrument to preach anti-gay violence in Jamaica, which is often described as a macho, homophobic culture.
In the first half of this year, he said, 98 attacks against homosexuals were reported in Jamaica, including four fatalities and four rapes of lesbians. Some incidents were documented by Amnesty International, which in April condemned increasing mob violence against gays there.
"Concert promoters have a responsibility not to provide a platform for artists that openly promote violence against any group in society," said Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, a campaign supporter. "We hope that the promoters will do the right thing and cancel these concerts."
Citizenship and Immigration spokesperson Karen Shadd-Evelyn refused to comment on the case, but said people facing hate crime allegations from the public can be deemed inadmissible to Canada and border officials do consider such factors.
Today, a St. Catharines union pulled the CAW Hall for Bryan's stop there. Officials with Toronto's Kool Haus could not be reached for comment.
In 2000, Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, made headline news when then Ontario Attorney-General Jim Flaherty asked Ottawa to stop the rap mega-star from entering the country to perform at SkyDome because his lyrics advocated violence against women. The attempt failed.
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