What is up with all the press Trinidad and Tobago has been receiving recently? If it is not one thing it is the other. We are only into the fifth month of the year, and both Trinidad and Tobago has made international news. First, it was the incident with American pop star, Akon. Second was the uproar over Elton John performing at the Tobago Jazz Festival. Third, as a total disgrace worldwide, a Trinidadian woman in Brooklyn was exposed by New York's Fox News as a scam artiste. Last but not least was the incident with Machel Montano being accused of beating a Zen patron shortly after the Akon incident.
Let me tackle each issue one by one starting with:
The Akon incident
Did Akon really sexually assault the 15yr old female on stage, or was it part of his act?
Judging from the Akon video posted on ttgapers.com, it seemed nothing out of the ordinary. Just a regular old performance; however, if it was just a regular performance why all of the hype? Is it because the female in question was exposed as a 15 year old girl, or was it because Akon conned women into coming on stage for a dance competition, thinking they were going to win a trip to Africa? There would have been no problem with Akon’s performance that night if the female in question was of legal age.
Who is to blame for the incident? The government blames Johnny Soong’s establishment, Club Zen for allowing the girl to enter, while her parents blame the American pop star. With everybody pointing fingers at the next person, nobody is holding this "child" accountable for her actions? Instead of making excuses for her, this child needs to accept responsibility for her deceptive behaviour and thank God nothing more occurred.
It is one thing to go and see your favourite entertainer perform, it is another to go on stage for a dancing competition. Any normal teenager would "cool out" in the club and enjoy the vibes, but no, she felt the need to go on stage and carry on with the man. Her parents are blaming Akon, but did they see how their daughter was dressed that night? Its young girls like these that ends up dead in the ditches somewhere.
Elton John
The religious groups of Tobago protests Elton John’s scheduled performance at the annual Plymouth Jazz Festival in Tobago.
From what I gather, religious leaders in Tobago feared that Elton John will convert Tobagonians into homosexuals. Clearly these so-called religious leaders never made it passed primary school to believe something so asinine. How can one performance by a gay man convert an island of 60,000 into homosexuals? It’s rather amusing to hear them protest about something so strongly, when in the past few years or so, Catholic priests around the world have been caught sexually abusing young boys.
The Scammer
Trinis, Trinis, Trinis
You come abroad, most of you for a better life and opportunity, yet mix yourself up with fraud and scandals.
A Brooklyn female from Trinidad has been discovered as one of Brooklyn's number one scam artistes. What this "Trickydadian" would do is, tell people she had inside tips on homes which would be going up for auction. She would charge people thousands for the information, scamming them out of their money.
New York's Fox News Five went undercover with host Arnold Diaz to expose this female and her "devious" ways in a news series labeled "Shame, shame, shame". After being exposed in broad day light in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, the woman claimed she had no recollection of what she was being accused. Trying to flee the anchorman and video crew on several occasions, this feisty "Trickydadian" pushed the anchorman, in the process knocking down his mic before entering a car.
Instead of applying herself while living an honest life, she rather run "bobol" and face deportation. There are many honest and hardworking Trinidadians and Tonagonians who would love to be granted a visa to come to "foreign", but are denied. This woman was granted an opportunity people would kill for, and wastes her life and opportunities scamming people. It is people like this who should be left grinding cocoa in the bushes of Toco.
The Machel Montano Incident
For those who heard about Machel’s behavior in the past, it’s no surprise that when you hear the latest accusations Machel faces, you believe them to be true.
Let’s backpedal for a minute.
Carnival Tuesday of 2006, Machel along with Dawg E. Slaughter supposedly attacked and stabbed a man in St. Clair. A couple of months later while performing in St. Vincent, Machel verbally abuses a female patron on stage by saying his skin is smooth, while her skin favors that of a "crappo". Later on in the same year while performing in Brooklyn, it was rumored that Mr. Montano stomped a woman on stage after he repetitively asked her to refrain from touching him.
Now in 2007, Machel is being questioned for his role in the beating of a man outside of Club Zen. What is going on inside the head of "winer boy"? It is evident that he suffers from an oversized head. It is one thing to be confident in what you do, and it’s another to be arrogant.
"No pictures," "Don't talk to me," "Leave me alone". Are these comments a celebrity makes to his/her fans?
In an article published in the Trinidad Guardian, Machel claims to be the "only" real celebrity of Trinidad and Tobago. Does a celebrity verbally abuse his fans on stage? Does a celebrity make announcements that if you see him on the road, do not come up to him? A celebrity embraces their fans, gives back to the community, and is a role model for today’s youth. These are things which Machel is not; if you want privacy and for people to leave you alone, you should have thought about that before entering the spotlight and claiming fame.
