Sizzla court date sparks bad word discussion
Published:Sunday | March 16, 2014 | 12:00 AM
Shereita Grizzle, Gleaner Writer
Last month popular dancehall artiste Sizzla pleaded guilty to charges surrounding the use of indecent language and was fined $1,000 at the Yallahs Resident Magistrate Court. The charge reignited calls for the law to be permanently abolished from the books with some labelling it as ridiculous.
Many believe that the clause within the Town and Communities Act which highlights the implications of the use of indecent language in public spaces is outdated.
Critics suggest that the law should be thrown out or at the very least, it should be revisited and updated.
Section 9C of the Town and Communities Act states that "any person who shall make on any fence, wall or other building, any obscene figure, drawing, painting, or representation, or sing any profane, indecent, or obscene song or ballad, or write or draw any indecent or obscene word, figure, or representation, or use any profane, indecent or obscene language publicly can be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,500 or to imprisonment with or without hard labour, for a period not exceeding thirty days".
Persons within the entertainment industry have weighed in on the issue stating that there are still too many backward laws on Jamaican books.
Dancehall artiste Stein calls the law sheer stupidity.
"How can you charge an artiste for expressing themselves on a stage show where only adults are? People want to hear the songs in their raw versions because that is dancehall," he said.
Stein also admitted that entertainers need to understand that there are certain places where the use of certain words may be deemed offensive.
"No language is indecent to me; it's just that there is a time and place for everything."
Fellow artiste Vegas agreed, sayng that respect for certain spaces should be at the forefront of every entertainer's mind.
As for the fine attached to the charge, Stein believes that it is ridiculous as there shouldn't be a charge in the first instance, while Vegas believes the issue goes beyond the money and is more about respect.
He also stated that the law is not special to Jamaica as there are other territories in the region and around the world where the use of profanity in public spaces is forbidden.
Veteran artiste Barrington Levy said the law serves as a means of filtering performances. "The law is doing a good job because all types of people attend live events and not everyone will want to hear expletives," he said.
Levy is of the belief that what makes the law ridiculous is the fine.
"That is a waste of time, it don't make no sense. They need to review that and raise the amount because a man nah go stop curse if is only $1,000 him a go pay," said Levy.