Dear Editor
The T.O.K. performance at the Digicel Experience
concert held on Wednesday 14 February, 2007 at the
National Park left much to be desired.
Most of the lyrics by the Jamaican group were riddled
with references glorifying crime and violence. Phrases
such as 'trigger finger', 'gun finger', 'shotta' and
'gangsta', among others, were used in ways which only
seemed to promote violence as a means of settling
conflicts. Although the T.O.K performance ended with
two songs with calls for "peace and love", this
message was lost and was inconsistent in their
performance in which there was a constant bombardment
of language which gleefully promoted violent
behaviour, especially gun crimes.
In the same vein, T.O.K also had no problems using the
Digicel event to express their homophobia. There were
at least two detectable homophobic references in heavy
Jamaican patois 'no fassie cyan dis Guyana crew' and
in their performance of 'keep it blazin' in which
homosexual men come in as targets for 'fi a'(fire).
The performance reached its lowest point when one of
the T.O.K. group members had no problem making
sexually inappropriate remarks to a girl who was
visibly underage, and then proceeded to dance in the
most sexually provocative manner with her. It was also
shocking that the mass crowd did not seem to find this
unacceptable. Even DJ Benny D, who accompanied Akon,
commented that unlike some other men there (obviously
alluding to the T.O.K band member) , he does not want
any eleven year old girl to 'feel him up'.
Digicel's Experience has been demeaned by the negative
aspects of popular culture which seem to promote
violence, homophobia and pedophilia. We call on
Digicel to issue a public apology for this regrettable
experience.
Yours faithfully
Alana Thorne
Devon Ambrose
and other members of SASOD
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