They should apologise for Street Jam filth
SUNDAY’S New Kingston Street Jam, which was part of the activities for this year’s Emancipation/Independence celebrations, was one which I welcomed. It provided an opportunity, early in the day, promenade Knutsford Boulevard, to view Jamaican craft and tasting Jamaican foods.
In the evening there was to be live entertainment. It was the sort of event at which you expected good, clean, wholesome family entertainment.
After all it was a function celebrating two very important junctures in Jamaica’s history — and during which we are celebrating one of Jamaican’s finest daughters, Louise Bennett-Coverly (Miss Lou).
But having tuned Sunday night to the live television coverage from Knutsford Boulevard, it leaves me but to wonder: What goes into the planning of some of these events? How are some of the so-called artistes and entertainers chosen?
I wonder. For I was subjected to the kind of “shock and awe” that perhaps Donald Rumsfeld hoped, and still hopes, he can unleash on Saddam Hussein. For what started out to be good family entertainment took a horrible twist a little before 11:00 pm.
My agony started when a dancehall DJ, obviously unaware of the rationale behind Independence celebrations, took the stage and unleashed a slew of derogatory nastiness. He targetted “gals” — his term for women– and b#@*&y boys (gay men).
It was almost 15 minutes of preposterous, annoying, agonising, violent bile ludicrously passing itself off as entertainment. Someone calling himself Danny English was the star of this debasement. He shared the stage with another colleague, Egg Nog. They should have called themselves moronic imbeciles.
In a crotch-grabbing performance, the seemingly dazed Mr English — the main culprit not only with a routine of degradation, but made “gun” gestures with his fingers. More salt was sprinkled in the wound when another DJ, Chico, later encouraged the gals to hate their bad-minded “gal-friend)”.
The irony is that all this was done while praising Miss Lou, who the ‘entertainers” felt had done much for our culture.
Crazy, awful, contradictory entertainment indeed. Paula Ann Porter deserves some credit for ending English’s assault –belatedly for me, however — in an undeservedly diplomatic manner.
It is a shame that these people consider them heirs to Miss Lou. She would never so debase and debauch this celebration of our freedom from slavery and Jamaica’s attainment of Independence.
These “entertainers” and the organisers of the show owe Jamaica an apology. They should also apologise to Miss Lou.