In the face of strong opposition from gay groups and concerned citizens, dancehall reggae superstar, Beenie Man, was expected to perform yesterday in Barcelona, Spain - but he would have to do it while being under close watch and scrutiny by gay rights groups after signing the Reggae Compassionate Act.
According to a story in the Spanish newspaper, El Pais, the announcement of the deejay's visit and performance, sparked several protests across the city and prompted an influx of calls, emails and letters to the daily newspapers.Observers from various Spanish institutions and gay and lesbian groups, also planned to be at the concert to "keep an eye out for the slightest homophobic insinuations in his songs or speeches."
Though there were calls for the cancellation of the concert, the deejay was eventually allowed to perform - but not without signing the Reggae Compassionate Act (see below for the signed copy by Beenie Man), which, if breached, would see him being "denounced" in Barcelona, and possibly all of Europe. As part of the agreement, the deejay was expected to promote 'love, peace and tolerance'. He also agreed to have observers in the concert hall. Concert organisers promised strict control even while admitting that it would be hard to understand the Jamaican dialect. They promised a "zero tolerance" approach.
The deejay was instructed to not perform any songs that directly incited violence against gays, and according to the story, Damn and Han Up Deh, were two specific songs which were banned. The story also noted that homophobic lyrics or behaviour, is a crime in Spain.
According to the story, three homosexual groups that have refused to sign the agreement, have announced their intentions to stand at the door of the auditorium and lobby for the cancellation of the concert. There was not news of a cancellation up to press time.
Eugeni Rodriguez, speaker of the Catalan Gay Liberation Front, justified their plans by saying, "the artiste has never apologised and has encouraged the persecution of homosexuals in Jamaica."
One section of the article, written by Diego A. Manrique, defended the deejay saying the audience would not understand his lyrics clearly enough to respond violently to homosexuals. It also continued, "It is also insulting to make it obligatory for an artiste to sign an agreement of good intentions and prevent him from performing some songs." Manrique also suggested that the agreement was an attempt to censor a genre that is traditionally radical and non-conformist.
The deejay is slated to perform today (Friday) at Madrid's Urban Cultural Festival and on Saturday at the Santana 27 Club in Bilbao. So far, there have been no protests in these cities.
Reggae Compassionate Act
