Zimbabweans love dancehall but not many there agree

So as we continue to see the trends where homophobes or those on an anti gay quest either relocate, support homophobic activity in specific anti gay states, financially give support to openly homophobic regimes and advocacy the Jamaican dancehall arena is no different. In case you missed the whole religious movement connections to certain religious anti gay pronouncements you may want to see this video documentary from IN THE LIFE where the connections are made.

Intersections of Church and State

Here is an article from Zimbabwe about the influx of dancehall acts there and the concerns raised:

Love live reggae – but fans disagree

Written by TERRY MUTSVANGA

HARARE - The arrival of Sizzla Kalonji in February 2010 signaled a new era for music in Zimbabwe as artist after artist jetted into the country for some remarkable shows. (Pictured: Beenie Man surrounded by his fans) These included the ladies duo of Brick and Lace, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, T.O.K and the Fireman, Capleton. Misheck Moyo from Arts Alive said: “Jamaica rules the music world. We have a strong bond with Jamaican music since reggae and Dancehall speak about social ills of society and as black people we share common problems. Dancehall is here to stay and long live Reggae.”

His sentiments were echoed by Blessed Gumbo, a club DJ in Chitungwiza, who said : “We were very blessed to have Beenie, Sizzla and Capleton. These are top artists and that is why politicians hate reggae and Dancehall since the music is about righteousness and speaks out on corruption, police brutality and oppression.”

“I have lost count of some of my awards and I have been in this business since I was 9 years old. I am here to stay and I set the pace and others follow,” said Beenie in an interview. Divine Chekenyu from Black Nature disagreed with the claim and accused Beenieman of being a fake Rasta man. Instead he opted for Sizzla Kalonji and said his performance in Bulawayo was magnificent.

“Kalonji rules the Dancehall. His message is pure and clear. Beenieman sings too much about ladies and guns. People like him are a bad influence to the youths.” Other fans accused Kalonji of being an apologist of President Robert Mugabe since he was invited as a guest artist at his 87th birthday. Kalonji also appeared on stage with the President and some senior Zanu (PF) officials. There also unconfirmed reports that he was offered a farm in Chegutu.

One youth from Chitungwiza, Swithun Boora, accused Kalonji of betraying the youths in the country. “Kalonji came here to bless and glorify a dictator. As a true rastafarian he should have rejected the offer since Zanu (PF) continues to deny us of all basic human rights, “he said.

The coming of Jamaicans to Zimbabwe can be attributed to the search by the artists to greener pastures since they are being banned in their former hunting grounds, notably the USA, UK, Canada, the Netherlands and Australia. Artists like Beenieman, Capleton and Sizzla Kalonji had their visas revoked by the American embassy in Jamaica due to their anti- gay stance. Gay rights activists argued that the artists sang lyrical tunes that encouraged the murder of gay people.

They cited songs from Capleton like “Burn Down the Chi Chi”, (Chi chi is Jamaican slang for gay) Buju Banton’s 1992 hit “Boom Bye bye in a butty bwoy head”(Buty bwoy is another term for gay in Jamaica) and Beenieman s “Bad man nuh sex man”(a man cannot sleep with another man).

Ever since the visa revocation, many artists continue to tour different places around the world, but that has seen their purses dwindling since there is more money in America and the UK. Dancehall music, a genre of reggae from Jamaica has been around the music circles since the early 1980s and the majority of Zimbabwean youths have been accustomed to this fast-paced, hardcore genre since the arrival of the then Dancehall great Rexton Gordon, popularly known as Shabba Ranks, who rocked fans at the National Sports Stadium in 1993.