One month after his performance, Barbadian Member of Parliament for St. Phillip North Sonia Browne disagrees with the support being given to Reggae Dancehall singer Buju Banton.
During a recent address to the Barbados Parliament, Sonia suggested that Buju Banton and Bob Marley should not be seen as role models because of their involvement with drugs.
“I don’t think we quite understand the seriousness of the drug use and abuse. Let me clear it by saying I am a fan of Buju Banton. I admire his music, but when we got a society that more or less romanticises a gentleman coming out of prison, after spending a decade of incarceration on drug charges, we need to change the perspective of our young people with respect to our heroes and heroines. We need to change the focus.”
She even had something to say about the King of Reggae, Bob Marley.
“Yes, there are the Bob Marleys of the world, and I love him too, but from the perspective of the young people, they use him as a prime example that marijuana does nothing. Not everybody can benefit from the clarity I assume he exhibited from marijuana use. Not many people can belt out the lyrics he did. In fact, the majority can’t. We need to change the focus and move to different role models.
Ziptocrats, do you think an artiste’s past should affect their music?
Buju performed in Barbados on April 27 at the Kensington Oval. The ‘Long Walk To Freedom’ tour began in Jamaica on March 16 and will end in Belgium on August 3.