Free Speech in Popular Music to be Discussed at Forum

An emerging media entity on the Caribbean/New York landscape, ZYNC-TV, will examine the boundaries of free speech in today's popular music culture, at a specially arranged forum at the Grand Army Plaza branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (Eastern Parkway/Flatbush Avenue), in central Brooklyn, on February 7, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

"A number of today's artistes are beginning to feel the pressure of censorship because their lyrics speak out against certain lifestyles and concert promoters now run the risk of having to cancel events or make considerable adjustments to their line-ups for fear of boycott, demonstration and rejection," Eion Saunders, co-producer of ZYNC-TV and the forum's convenor told JIS News.

The forum will draw on a number of key resource persons and personalities from the music industry, academia and the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual & Transgender (GLBT) communities.

Mr. Saunders said that while the historical and social context of homosexuality in Jamaican culture would be discussed, the panellists would tackle vexing issues such as the double-standard involved in banning reggae artistes, in particular, and race.

The panellists will include, Poet/Activist, Stacey-Ann Chin (GLBT); Sirius Satellite Radio Programme Co-ordinator, Pat McKay; Professor of Caribbean Literature, Kelly Baker Josephs; Irie Jam Radio host, Roy 'DJ Roy' Walters; Donald Powell, Executive Director of the anti-Discrimination Project at Gay Men of African Descent; Stan Evan Smith, Journalist/Co-host of Reggae Roundtable,WBAI Radio and D'Niscio Brooks, Promoter, Reggae Carifest, New York.

ZYNC-TV will video-tape the forum, which will be developed as a special 'edu-taining series of programmes' for its weekly half hour show, which airs on NYC Channel 73 on Sundays at 12:30 p.m.