ST JOHN’S, Antigua – A controversial Carnival song – which campaigners claims advocates rape and violence against women – won’t be banned by the Carnival Development Committee (CDC).
Chairman Kyode Omarde said the Carnival Development Committee (CDC) had no power to ban the song.
The lyrics of Burning Flames‘ Kick Een She Back Doh has sparked a wave of contention among local activists and members of the public.
But yesterday, Omarde said the CDC had no jurisdiction over the banning of any seasonal songs – regardless of their content.
He was responding to questions as to whether or not CDC would seek to ban Toriano “Onyan” Edwards’ song from the airwaves.
Omarde said CDC had no authority over such actions without authorisation from the Minister of Information Broadcasting and Telecommunications, Dr Edmond Mansoor.
“The CDC can not act unless we have been given the directive from the minister, and to date, we have not been told to do so,” Omarde said.
His comments came days after president of Women Against Rape (WAR), Alexandrina Wong, called on Dr Mansoor and Education Minister Dr Jacqui Quinn Leandro to take the necessary steps to ensure that media houses and other entities immediately stop playing the song in public.
Wong deemed the lyrics extremely offensive as they apparently speak to violence and allude to non-consensual sex.
The popular band’s song also caught the attention of two OBSERVER Media columnists, Svenn Grant and Joanne Hillhouse, who expressed concerns about the words on two separate occasions.
Meanwhile, Burning Flames’ lead singer said album sales had hit the roof since the outcry erupted.
Edwards said the public viewed the album as very good and that bad press had boosted sales tremendously.
“The sales were going good but now it has escalated because of the controversy,” Edwards said.
(More in today’s Daily OBSERVER)
I think many people are misinterpreting this song because they are saying that its not the womans house they are saying they got locked out and their key no longer works and they were creeping around with other woman and they got caught and their love for the gyal is too much they cant keep away from them….
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The song is irresponsible and of no value.
It says a lot about a society when you cannot throw a song like that back at the authors and tell them ‘come again’. The Policticians in Antigua are a spineless and pandering bunch.
If you cannot draw the line at not condoning forced entry into a house or any other warped meaning of backdoor. Where will you stop?
Remember chickens always come home to roost.
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Years ago Sparrow sang,”buss up dey eyes, bruise up dey knee and then dey will love you eternally.” Although I was young I don’t recalled hearing any out-cry at all. Where was they outraged then? I believe that song is still considered a classic! Hate selective censorship. Do it across the board>
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Let me see if I follow this arguement.
If something like Sparrows song was not banned from the radio all those years ago; then now in the enlightened age of 2012 we should not censor anything that is similarly offensive.
The funny thing about the many people who hold this view is that they do not argue that the songs are inappropriate; they instead take the simplistic view that if it wasn’t done then, it should not be done now.
How about saying it was a very different time then. How about saying it was a mistake not to ban Sparrow’s song even then, so let us do the right thing now.
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The song promotes sodomy of women, T. Edwards is not a young man as are most of his brothers, you would thing by now men over 50 should have some more uplifting pearl of wisdom for the young than to promote sodomy. What consenting perverts and moral diviants do in the privacy of their homes is nobody’s business but remember not of the population are moral degenerates.
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i think that if you are going to band that song then you should band all , what about the song ‘Kentucky’ that was very very degrading to woman but no one said anything. an what about the song for young destroyer. That one is even worse, I have nothing against WAR cause frankly i hate guys that rape women, but if you are going to do it don’t do it half way, ask for all of then to be band. And not just one!
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the song kentucky may be degrading to women BUT it does not recommend breaking and entering, nor does it suggest forcing anal sex on a woman who is saying no to consensual sex… BIG difference!!
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@ Melissa the song is not talking about someone actually kicking another,its typically just used as a metaphor.
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i think they should have found some loop hole to ban that song. i know its a crucial time and you have to grab fans attention but i think he went over board this time. how did u think it looked when lil boys are using their feet an kicking girls in their bottom. Onyan should’ve thought twice before releasing that awful song
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If young boys were being taught from early how to treat girls and the consequences of violence then no amount of encouragement from a song would have made them try the act you mentioned. You think back in the older days they would have tried that stunt without worrying about which foot their parents would leave back for them to walk on tomorrow?
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