Why is dancehall artiste Valiant at UWI carnival?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I am writing this letter because I am troubled about recent plans to have Valiant, a dancehall artiste whose songs promotes scamming, violence and drugs, to perform on the University of the West Indies, (UWI) Mona carnival 2023.

I am saddened and concerned that my university would choose to partner with an artiste like Valiant, whose songs are not even permitted on Jamaican radio.

I am sure that we would not readily invite an artiste who glorifies rape or child molestation, which are widespread negative features of our society.

We would never justify songs with this type of detestable content with the assertion that “music is just a reflection of life”. What we sing about matters, and what our youth are entertained by matters.

We should not hypocritically promote artistes, just because they are popular, who glorify antisocial and illegal behaviour like scamming, which destroys real people. It is a glaring contradiction that a university would elevate an artiste who promotes being “dunce” and choosing a life of scamming, as seen in Valiant’s song, Dunce Cheque.

While I believe that the UWI carnival in not benefiting the students,inviting Valiant and supporting his music is a line the UWI should not cross.

It is hard to take the work of the University seriously when, in class, we are taught about ethics but events like these are inconsistent with such an ethical standard. A university is a place to discover truth and promote the flourishing of society.

I have written to the guild, principal and vice-principal at UWI about these issues, but have received no response to date.

I would implore the guild and whoever else is involved in the approval of events, to think carefully about the message being sent to our students, to Jamaica, and to the Caribbean. Is this the UWI we want?

SARAH

A UWI Student