BLACK ... people must be free to choose

PRESIDENT of the Jamaica Alliance Movement, Ras Astor Black, is planning public marches on the Montego Bay and Spanish Town courts to protest against the legal action taken by the police against a number of entertainers who have been charged for using indecent language on stage.

Pending permission from the police, Black says he expects to lead a group of demonstrators tomorrow, September 7 in Spanish Town and September 27 in Montego Bay, the days when the summoned deejays are to make court appearances.

Popular artistes Lady Saw, Sizzla, Bounty Killer, Ghost and Anthony B will face the judge in Spanish Town tomorrow to answer to charges of calumnious conduct on stage at the August 19 Champions in Action concert, which was held at the Fort Clarence Beach, St Catherine.

Those summoned to appear in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court due to their behaviour on Reggae Sumfest's Dancehall Night last month are Merciless, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Kip Rich, Alozade, Hawkeye, Babycham and Elephant Man. Summonses have also been prepared for American artistes Snoop Dogg and Ja Rule, but it is highly unlikely that they will appear.

Black sees the action of the police as a threat to freedom of artistic expression and a bias toward middle and upper-class panderings.

"It is a double-standard thing. The uptown people can carry on with their slackness at carnival and have a ball, but poor people cannot express themselves in the way they know how," Black contended. "I am calling on the people in the music business and all the people who believe in freedom of choice and freedom of speech to come out and join in the demonstrations," he said.

According to him, the timing of the current focus on lewd lyrics is too coincidental. "People have been using bad words on stage for many years. I think it is just because the music is touching certain toes now," he said. "Our leaders can behave badly and throw pencils at each other in Parliament, but we cannot protest through music," he said.

Since the Sumfest incident, one of the indicted deejays, Kip Rich, has sent a written apology to the prime minister whom he verbally abused during his performance.

Mother's Patties has also sharply criticised Kip Rich for his performance and has pulled its ads in which he is featured.

Another of the deejays, Beenie Man, has also apologised for his action and said he would be going to court to face the consequences.

While none of the other affected artistes have spoken publicly on the matter, Black feels people should be free, not only to express themselves, but to choose what they want to hear.

"If you don't want dancehall, don't go to dancehall. If you want gospel, then go to a gospel show. Don't restrict what the dancehall audience wants to hear when they go to a dancehall show," he said.

A former Chicago radio disc jockey, the Rastafarian Astor Black came to prominence earlier this year when he contested the North East St Ann parliamentary by-election for his Jamaica Alliance Movement. However, he failed to generate any significant support and only managed to attract a paltry 39 votes.

Black, for 17 years, worked at Chicago's college station, WNUR FM 89, before returning to Jamaica with plans of establishing a Bob Marley school of the arts in Montego Bay. He is also host and producer of the Reggae Vibration TV show, aired on cable television in Chicago.

Black said his Jamaica Alliance Movement intends to contest all 60 parliamentary constituencies in the next general elections. The freedom to choose will be one of the philosophical pillars of the party's election campaign. Black said he is currently interviewing potential candidates and should make an announcement by month-end.

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