ComPol Proposes Belize Ban on Musicians That Promote Violence

There is also the issue of gangs in the Caribbean, a plague to most CARICOM nations. In an interview with the President of the A.C.C.P., Atlee Rodney, he stated that there is a direct correlation between music that promotes violence and the establishment of criminal organizations. ComPol Williams says that he agrees with President Rodney’s analysis. Taking it further, the commissioner of police proposed that certain musicians be banned from performing in Belize.

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We can find that more in Jamaica and Trinidad. I think those are the two main areas we are seeing occurring. It is not far away from reaching our shores. We are lucky we don’t have that volume of musicians that Jamaica and Trinidad do have. But when we look at for example, Trinibad, even though Trinibad is not an artist, they are a group of DJs that goes around the Caribbean and perform, but when you look at the type of music they promote, they promote violence. And, in many instances when they do in or through the music, they promote say something, it happens. And I was shocked to see that we brought Trinibad to Belize during the Agric Show. While I do understand that promoters want to make money, there are other ways to make money without putting our country at risk. When you bring those type of people to our shores it is just to influence our young people to do certain things that we don’t want them to do. Here we are trying to say to our young people that there is a need to walk certain lines, to be law abiding, but yet we are going to bring people into the country who are going to be influential to influence them to be negative.”

 

Sabreena Daly

“What can we do about that though?”

 

Chester Williams

“We need to do what some for the countries in the Caribbean do, there are certain artists that can’t perform in the Caribbean. They are banned because of the type of music they promote.”