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Gay rights groups are threatening a boycott campaign against Jamaican reggae singer Buju Banton after he apparently breached an agreement with them by spouting homophobic lyrics at a recent concert in Guyana.

Just months after bowing to pressure and signing the Reggae Compassionate Act which required him to stop promoting homophobic lyrics and statements in public, Banton is again embroiled in controversy after reports from the Guyana Music Festival said he sang his infamous, Boom Bye Bye, which advocates killing and maiming gay people.

It was reported in Guyana's Stabroek News that at the concert Buju also said on stage "Buju nah like no batty boy and dem batty boy attack Buju"

Peter Tatchell, head of the gay rights campaign group, OutRage, which spearheaded Stop the Murder Music, a three year pressure campaign against the reggae star, told The Voice:

"We offered Buju Banton a deal. We agreed to call off our campaign if he agreed to stop performing songs advocating killing gay people.

Buju has now broken this agreement so we will be consulting with our human rights allies in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean.

I suspect they will want to resume the campaign. Most black and gay and human rights groups will now insist there is a world wide boycott of him."

Silence

The Voice did not receive a response from Buju Banton's manager, Tracii McGregor, by press time but in an earlier letter to Guyana's Stabroek News she had said Banton had moved on from such anti-gay lyrics and was better known now for conscious lyrics spouting peace and harmony.

Banton is not the only artiste being targeted. Dr. Evil, known for songs such as Batty Boyz and Ja Don't Like Gay, is also on the OutRage's list.

Other high profile reggae artistes, including Beenie Man and Sizzla, have signed the declara - tion after worldwide protests from gay rights groups resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of concerts and sponsorship deals, costing the artistes in excess of £2.5m.

Published: 07 November 2007
Issue: 1294

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