Release No. TR10INT11E
Paris, Monday 30 August 2010
Dear Brothers,
Tjenbé Rèd, the Afro-Caribbean association for the struggle against all forms of racism, homophobia and AIDS, has noticed with a certain amount of sadness the entry published on Thursday on your Reggae-Unité Blog, entitled «Sizzla’s concert at l’Élysée Montmartre [Paris] threatened again». In fact, several of the comments put forward in this entry do not correspond to any of our observations or declarations.
It is therefore claimed: «Following the recent concert cancellations in Belgium and France, we have just learned that Sizzla will longer participate in the Chiemsee Reggae Summer festival in Germany for the same reasons». What «reasons»? Nothing explains it in the blog entry, if not the text which follows. «This situation is not about to stop as the person responsible (?) in the association [Tjenbé Rèd] has just announced that his association will also take action to get the Sizzla concerts due for 23 September in Montpellier [France] and on 24 September at l’Élysée Montmartre [Paris]». You need therefore to read between the lines to understand that the international Stop Murder Music (SMM) campaign, of which Tjenbé Rèd is the co-ordinator in France, is supposed to be at the root of «recent concert cancellations in Belgium and France» and «in Germany».
This corresponds neither to our observations nor to our declarations.
According to the information we have, only two of Sizzla’s concerts have recently been cancelled – at Palavàs-les-Flots in France (21 August) and at Messancy in Belgium (25 August). What is more, there is no proof that these concerts were cancelled because of the SMM campaign. We have already observed that the followers of this artist often provide explanations for some concert cancellations that are hardly credible. So, in May 2008, they had accused the SMM of being responsible for the cancellation of several concerts, while the more trite explanation was that he had been turned away at the frontier because of problems with his visa. Again, in February 2010 the Reggae.fr site announced the cancellations on new concerts, mentioning «his recent arrest in Jamaica for firing off gunshots», while Reggaefrance.com announced the following day that he was at the birthday party of Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe (equally notorious for homophobic and racists comments).
Furthermore, we have not asked for the cancellation of these two concerts. In several communications which we have signed or co-signed, (on 2 February, 1 March, 15 April, then on 5, 19, 21, 23 and 28 August, just to talk about this current year), we have simply informed the general public of the calls for murder issued by the artist in question and we have called for democratic action to respect human rights.
One might be astonished that you pass over in silence these calls for murder. Let us quote from the text as the remarks of great men are always edifying. «Shot battybwoy, my big gun boom» («Shoot queers, my big gun goes boom», from Pump Up, 2001); «Boom boom! Batty boy them fi dead» («Boom boom![as in gunshots] Queers must be killed», from Boom Boom, 2004); «Sodomite and batty bwai mi seh a death fi dem… Mi a go shot batty bwai dem widdi weapon ya» («Sodomite and queers, I say death to them… I go and shoot queers with a weapon», from Get To Da Point, 2001). In Chicago, 2002, Sizzla declared: «Mi nuh go tek back mi chat… Mi kill sodomite and batty man dem bring aids and disease pon people… Shot a kill dem, mi nuh go tek back mi chat [I wont take back my words… I kill sodomites and queers, they bring AIDS and disease upon people… Shoot and kill them, I won’t take back my words]».
An Amnesty International report describes a concert held in 2004 in the following terms: «Throughout the night, Capleton, Sizzla and others sang almost exclusively about gay men. Using the derogatory terms for gay men – ‘chi chi men’ or ‘battybwoys’ – they urged the audience to ‘kill dem, battybwoys haffi dead, gun shots pon dem. Who want to see dem dead, put up his hand’ [kill them, queers have got to die, gun shots in their head, whoever wants to see them dead, put up your hand].»
We hope these details will be able to clear up some misunderstanding. We are always at your disposal for any further information.
One love!
For Tjenbé Rèd (Afro-Caribbean association for the struggle against all forms of homophobia, racism and AIDS)
Chair, David AUERBACH CHIFFRIN
+33 6 10 55 63 60 (France) | +596 6 96 05 24 55 (West Indies)
Fax: +33 1 76 50 59 79 | contact@tjenbered.fr
[3] 13 juillet 2010 – Photographies de la manifestation de Tjenbé Rèd lors de la venue de Capleton à l’Élysée Montmartre à Paris
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100713-99.html
[2] 26 août 2010 – Le concert de Sizzla à l’Élysée Montmartre encore menacé !!! (Reggae-Unité Blog)
http://reggaeunite.blogspot.com/2010/08/nu-roots-news-aout-2010_26.html
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100826-99.pdf
[1E] 28 August 2010 – Stop Murder Music Campaign: Concert by homophobic singer Sizzla cancelled in Belgium – Press release No. TR101NT11E
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100828-09.pdf [en]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100828-00.pdf [fr]
http://blogs.tetu.com/outre_mers_et_pairs/2010/08/29/sizzla-2/ [fr]
[1D] 23 August 2010 – Right of reply to «Midi Libre» following its article of 18 august 2010 on Sizzla and the «gay lobbies» – Press release No. TR10INT11D
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100823-09.pdf [en]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100823-00.pdf [fr]
http://www.heterhomo.org/Concert-de-Sizzla-Tjenbe-Red [fr]
http://www.pinkphenix.com/ [fr]
[1C] 21 août 2010 – Campagne Stop Murder Music – Sizzla à Montpellier : «Butte les pédés, mon flingue va tirer» ?! – Communiqué de presse n°TR10INT11C
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100821-00.pdf
[1B] 19 August 2010 – Stop Murder Music Campaign: Concert by homophobic singer Sizzla cancelled – Joint press release from Tjenbé Rèd, OutRage! and Couleurs gaies (Metz LGBT Centre) – Press release No. TR10INT11B
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100819-09.pdf [en]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100819-00.pdf [fr]
[1A] 5 August 2010 – Stop Murder Music Campain – Sizzla in France: «Shoot queers»?! (Signatories send out an alert to human rights organisations in Languedoc-Roussillon) – Joint press release from OutRage! (London), Tjenbé Rèd, Girofard (Bordeaux LGBT Centre), Couleurs gaies (Metz LGBT Centre) – Press release No. TR10INT11
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100805-09.pdf [en]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100805-00.pdf [fr]
English translation of this French original text. In the event of any differences between the English translation and the French original, the French text shall prevail. Translated by T. E.
30 août 2010 – Campagne Stop Murder Music : Réponse aux frères du blog Reggae-Unité au sujet du concert de Sizzla à l’Élysée Montmartre – Communication n°TR10INT11F
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100830-00.pdf [fr]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100830-09.pdf [en]
http://blogs.tetu.com/outre_mers_et_pairs/2010/09/01/sizzla-3/ [fr]
Gay Lesbian Bisexual Trans-gender & Queer Jamaica 