Dancehall Fans Against Homophobia

R

Red*

New member
Dancehall Fans Against Homophobia

DFAH (pronounced differ) – because we’re DFAHrent

In 2005, the reggae subgenre of dancehall is under attack from a variety of sources. Most of these attacks relate to the homophobic content of some dancehall record releases. However, many of these attacks are so woefully inaccurate as to be dangerous in their own right. Dancehall Fans Against Homophobia is a newly formed organisation of dancehall fans who are as fed up with governmental and media attacks on dancehall as they are with the handful of deejays currently releasing homophobic records.

1) We are fans and supporters of reggae, dancehall and Jamaican music in all its forms.

2) We are opposed to homophobia and homophobic lyrics.

3) We call on record companies to desist from releasing homophobic records and to encourage their artists to perform lyrics dealing with other issues.

4) We will no longer buy records with homophobic lyrics.

5) We call on soundsystems to desist from playing homophobic records, or from making homophobic comments on the mic at dances.

6) We will no longer support homophobic soundsystems.

7) We reject the demonisation of reggae and its fans by parts of the media.

8) We are opposed to state bans on artists.

9) We recognise the long history of homophobia in Jamaica and that there can be no "quick fix". We propose that the way forward lies in dialogue and not in gesture politics.

10) We would like to open up a dialogue between reggae fans, artists, labels owners, soundsystem operators and the reggae community worldwide.


If dancehall fans are interested in signing up to these principles, they should log on www.dfah.org , and step on prejudice, in all its forms.

SIGN THE PETITION!

Press enquiries & media comment - dfah@dfah.org
 
E

Eric

Mr Moraigero
Red* said:
4) We will no longer buy records with homophobic lyrics.

6) We will no longer support homophobic soundsystems.
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I agree with the goals and most of the statements in your '10 points', but I doubt I will stop buying records or supporting sounds for this reason ... dealt with it this long so ...
 
B

bassnation

the abyss
Eric said:
I agree with the goals and most of the statements in your '10 points', but I doubt I will stop buying records or supporting sounds for this reason ... dealt with it this long so ...
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don't you find it offensive? would you feel the same listening to a band that makes incredible music but just happens to have lyrics about rights for whites? does the politics of a performer affect peoples enjoyment? is purchasing such music condoning and funding those sentiments?

not having a go at you personally, just curious thats all.
 
D

droid

Guest
Red* said:
Dancehall Fans Against Homophobia


1) We are fans and supporters of reggae, dancehall and Jamaican music in all its forms.

2) We are opposed to homophobia and homophobic lyrics.

3) We call on record companies to desist from releasing homophobic records and to encourage their artists to perform lyrics dealing with other issues.

4) We will no longer buy records with homophobic lyrics.

5) We call on soundsystems to desist from playing homophobic records, or from making homophobic comments on the mic at dances.

6) We will no longer support homophobic soundsystems.

7) We reject the demonisation of reggae and its fans by parts of the media.

8) We are opposed to state bans on artists.

9) We recognise the long history of homophobia in Jamaica and that there can be no "quick fix". We propose that the way forward lies in dialogue and not in gesture politics.

10) We would like to open up a dialogue between reggae fans, artists, labels owners, soundsystem operators and the reggae community worldwide.
Click to expand...

This has been a long time coming IMO. Thanks for posting it.

I agree with the goals and most of the statements in your '10 points', but I doubt I will stop buying records or supporting sounds for this reason ... dealt with it this long so ...
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Ive found myself going the other way. As the years have passed, and homophobia has become more prevelant in dancehall Ive become much more hardline about this... I still buy the odd 'batty bwoy' tune, but theres NO way Id ever play them out in a club or on the radio, and If i do a studio mix i try and mix any offending bits out of the finished product...

I think a campaign like this is definitely a step in the right direction.. if you can get radio DJs, promoters and selectors on board, the Jamaican scene WILL sit up and take notice if the see the sales for these tunes dropping, and hopefully theyll make less of them. Look at Buju Banton... he got bitten hard by the backlash against 'Boom bye bye', and even though Im sure he probably still holds the same views about homosexuals, he no longer advertises them in his tunes, I cant think of one anti-gay lyric from Buju since then.. (though I did hear some pretty nasty stuff at one of his live gigs a few years back...)

Vaguely interesting discussion about this topic here:

http://www.subvertcentral.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12267&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=40
 
S

stelfox

Beast of Burden
i won't be stopping buying records, either. i won't play homophobic records out, put them on mixes, or give props to them in print but there's no way that i'd pass up owning vybz's up to di time, pretty much my entire collection of rhythm albums and a fair few 7"s.
 
E

Eric

Mr Moraigero
true

to clarify a bit: it does bother me, sometimes quite a lot. but I feel something like I feel when hearing stupid misogynistic lyrics in rap/hiphop, or (bad analogy) the dumber kind of anti-system lyrics listening to old punk or hardcore; I feel like `ah that was stupid' or `WRONG buddy!!' and move on. I'm willing to do some of this if I like the music enough. but I'm not interested in buying records where I have to do that continuously. when I said I'd keep buying records I was referring to the few and far between full albums worth buying, not to 7"s; I don't buy `batty tune' 7s anyway. no use for them.

but the place for effective action here is definitely in the economics ...

droid said:
I still buy the odd 'batty bwoy' tune, but theres NO way Id ever play them out in a club or on the radio, and If i do a studio mix i try and mix any offending bits out of the finished product...
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yeah. I don't even play them for my friends either actually most of the time.
 
B

bassnation

the abyss
Clubberlang said:
Meaning that a good portion of this list seems to me to be about gesture politics.
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gesture politics - "any political action focused on public opinion or publicity rather than making a significant change or contribution"

do you honestly think that the people behind this want to big themselves up then?
 
C

Clubberlang

Well-known member
john eden said:
What would you suggest instead? :)
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Arguing for reforming the IMF and World Bank and WTO and reassessing the way in which those organizations interact with Third World nations like Jamaica. I think people in Britain and the US would have a little (just a little) more moral high ground on issues like homophobia if ya know our governments weren't the principal architects of policies which ensured the economic depression and systematic poverty of countries like Jamaica.
 
C

Clubberlang

Well-known member
bassnation said:
do you honestly think that the people behind this want to big themselves up then?
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I think the people behind this are doing something which will makes themselves feel a little better about listening and loving a form of music which quite often espouses ideas which they find emotionally and intellectually difficult to reconcile.
 
S

stelfox

Beast of Burden
well, i'd like to know who is behind it, if they have any support from within the scene etc. i'm not against it at all as i am a dancehall fan against homophobia myself, i'm just not sure i'm for it. anyway, i'm not faulting anyone's motives or anything and i've always been told i'm not much of a team player!
 
B

bassnation

the abyss
Clubberlang said:
Arguing for reforming the IMF and World Bank and WTO and reassessing the way in which those organizations interact with Third World nations like Jamaica. I think people in Britain and the US would have a little (just a little) more moral high ground on issues like homophobia if ya know our governments weren't the principal architects of policies which ensured the economic depression and systematic poverty of countries like Jamaica.
Click to expand...

while i'm in agreement on cause and effect, its not good enough to just say "well its all the fault of empire" and shrug your shoulders.

the fact is, outrage focussed on events & artists playing in the UK espousing appalling homophobia. thats the scope of their campaign, not JA. people might not agree with their tactics but its unacceptable that this kind of hatred go unchallenged. outrage certainly aren't going to drop it. personally i don't think theres anything wrong with a more moderate alternative being presented.

there are worse things that go on in JA with homophobia, everyone is aware of that. and no-ones looking to take the moral high ground. but it would be unacceptable for a mainstream music genre to be openly racist in the the UK. making exceptions, based on our feelings of guilt for the actions of the empire is not a coherent way of dealing with the kind of bile that has been expressed in some dancehall records.

reforming the imf and all the rest are laudable ambitions and i'm totally in agreement with you - but coming back to reality for a second, do you think thats going to happen any time soon?

so apart from capitalisms total defeat, what do you think should be done tactically, if anything?

marc
 
B

bassnation

the abyss
Clubberlang said:
I think the people behind this are doing something which will makes themselves feel a little better about listening and loving a form of music which quite often espouses ideas which they find emotionally and intellectually difficult to reconcile.
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and how is that any different from not wanting to even engage with the issue, hoping it will all go away? the status quo is no longer an option, after what happened last year with the protests.
 
M

Melchior

Taking History Too Far
Eric said:
to clarify a bit: it does bother me, sometimes quite a lot. but I feel something like I feel when hearing stupid misogynistic lyrics in rap/hiphop, or (bad analogy) the dumber kind of anti-system lyrics listening to old punk or hardcore; I feel like `ah that was stupid' or `WRONG buddy!!' and move on. I'm willing to do some of this if I like the music enough. but I'm not interested in buying records where I have to do that continuously.
Click to expand...

The old punk/hc stuff (or indeed current punk/hc stuff) with dumb lyrics is different to offensive isn't it? I'd listen to Doom or Crass or whoever much more readily than I'd listen to skrewdriver, even though, by all accunts, I'd like skrewdriver better musically...

Not to say that Skrewdriver is the same as Buju Banton, even at his worst. Banton doesn't exist more or less for the promotion of a homophobic agenda where as skrewdriver's main aim was to promote white power stuff.

Anyway, I buy so little dancehall and have no chance of supporting or not supporting soundsytems that my input here is essentially irrelevent. But I signed.
 
C

Clubberlang

Well-known member
bassnation said:
and how is that any different from not wanting to even engage with the issue, hoping it will all go away? the status quo is no longer an option, after what happened last year with the protests.
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I gotta admit that my stomach for this kind of First World intervention on the "problems" of the Third World viewpoints is at an all time low (perhaps this is a peculiarly American exhaustion these days, hmmn.) Look I'm all for engaging on these issues on a personal/community basis, but when you begun to move it globally it all ends up sounding a little to close to YET another lecture about how those darn people just don't know how to live right and its up to the fine outstanding citizens representing Western culture to go in there and bring civilization to them (and despite the rosy scenarios painted by Christopher Hitchens/George Bush/et all, I've yet to see this done in a way that's really "bettered" anyone.) Aid, reform, etc, to the Jamaica's of the world, hey, that's great. The UK and the US should do all they can and we as citizens should lobby for such things, but creating a "real" dialogue on these sorts of issues is only going to be possible when something approaching parity exists between these countries as opposed to a rather typical imperialist model which all dialogues up to this point would be based on.

Anyway I don't really want to argue about this, cuz hey for the most part I think people's hearts are in the right place and a lot of the community/soundsystem/local radio based stuff is something at least and I don't want to sound totally down on the whole thing or anything like that. It is laudable and I hope that it 1) does create local positive change/dialogue in the UK (and US) and 2) people who might previously have been uncomfortable listening to dancehall become more comfortable with it and really begin to engage with it, because really that could only be good. So apologies for coming across as a little bit of a cranky cynic haha.
 
E

Eric

Mr Moraigero
Melchior said:
But I signed.
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well I signed too actually though with some doubts about whether I will actually not do some of the things I claimed by signing I wouldn't ... :)

in line with the spirit of the proposal if not the letter
 
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