Skeng’s team working on compromise with Guyana

Cara Vickers, music consultant and one of the managers of dancehall artiste Skeng, is describing as positive a recent meeting with Guyana's President Mohamed Irfaan Ali to discuss the artiste being banned from performing in the country and the way forward.

Coming out of the meeting, Vickers said Ali agreed that while he aims to maintain order in his country, Skeng should not have to absorb the blame for the actions of the citizens.

"He understood my plight, and I understood his. He apologised for the actions of people, but he agrees that he has a country to manage and he can't afford to have certain things play out. It's a Caribbean [territory] like Jamaica, and he has a duty of care. He is not necessarily overriding the decision, but he understands why it would need to be lifted, and he also understands that accountability is important. He has to be responsible for thousands of young black men and their behaviour, but he agrees that people are responsible for their own actions, and he doesn't want to stop a young black man [Skeng] from earning or people enjoying Skeng's music," she revealed to THE STAR.

In May, gunshots rang out during the deejay's performance at the Baderation dancehall concert, cutting his set short. He was subsequently banned from performing publicly in Guyana as per an announcement for Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn. According to Vickers, they are working together in hopes of reaching a desirable outcome.

"We have to understand that Skeng is an infectious artiste, and that's just it. But he [Ali] is not holding him accountable for people's behaviour. But he wants to highlight to the youth that a lot of what people talk about in the music is fiction. It's from a creative perspective. It is just music," she added.

Vickers also commented on Guyana's Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton's recent condemnation of dancehall artistes Skillibeng and Spice. The two were headliners at the Guyana Cricket Carnival, a government-hosted concert. Norton chided the move, calling the artistes the "worst of the dancehall music".

Vickers said that the root of the social issues being pinned on the music and culture is what need urgent attention.

"I am Jamaican, and these people are flying the flag of dancehall, so I can never agree with anything negative that anybody has to say about my culture. I don't know what he is talking about. Promoters in Guyana would never book these people if there wasn't a demand from them from the Guyanese people. It's simple. The consumers are your own people, don't pin your issues on Jamaican artistes. You simply cannot label people the worst of a culture that your country embraces," she said.