I have followed the issue of fifty cent and wish to take the opportunity to make a contribution.

I am a teacher and had the privilege of talking to young people about the issue as it was maturing.  Most told me that if they get to opportunity to go to the concert they will go for various reasons.  They do not hesitate to articulate that the life of this famous rapper along with his lyrics are not foreign to the average teenager…they maintain that they watch him and others all the time on BET.  Additionally, they add that Fifty is not the first American rapper to headline a concert in the Bahamas, and though, ludicrous, if the government or the Christian council does not want them to be exposed to that culture, they should ban BET from cable or the dish networks.

We have to realize that today’s generation is brought up by American television and 100 Jamz…They are exposed to far more than the older generation who only identify fifty cents as change.  These young people tend to wallow in the glamour of the thug life, the baggy clothes, the golds, the guns, the half-naked women.   They have come to believe that that is what life is about.  Many young men believe that they have not accomplished anything unless you can “floss” with the fast car, the pretty girl, the gold teeth, the diamond studs, and the guns.  And, they will seek to accomplish these things by any means necessary, thus, in this country we see the increase in hustling (drug activity) and robbery by those late teenagers (15-18) and incidentally, those are the crucial years and many of those are glamorizing in Fox Hill.

While I understand that we should have diversity in our country and free speech and expression are outlined in our constitution, I feel that we should use that same energy to promote Bahamian music.  Young people think and say that Bahamian music is for old people, and it is ‘not happening’ or ‘it just ain’t cool’.  The promoters understand the dynamics of the country, they know who’s hot and who’s not and they could channel this knowledge to reap as much money as there is available.   The underlying fact is that the promoters made lots of money from this concert to the sacrifice of our country going further and further down hill from the affects of the above criminology.  I am thankful that the turnout was not as expected.

On the same token, I realized that the government made little contribution to the issue…I guess it is that important to reserve the votes of those youngsters in the next general election…these are things that they remember and will no doubt be reminded of in a short time.  But, in this age of instantaneousness as in the hormones that are injected in our food products to increase the quantity, those youngsters have, only, STM (short-term memory).

I think that we should not allow foreign, negative entities into our country.  But, as with any developing country the bad always comes with the good.  However, the sad fact is we never lost our slave mentality and that is why we are no further than we are as a people…and we will continue to be backwards and caught up in baffling conflicts within our gates.  We have the mentality that once it comes from somewhere else it is good and that has transcended across the culture…from textbooks in school, to television, to music, to food…We have just as much to offer the world as everyone else.  We have to learn to appreciate who we are as a people…listen to and buy Bahamian music and support the Junkanoo culture.  Fifty Cents was a rendezvous, but the effects of him and others like him are ongoing...
DM

"...just as lightening makes no sound until it strikes, the revolution will be generated quietly..."