Buju Banton’s first confirmed live concert scheduled Trinidad and Tobago is getting a huge fight.
Following the announced that the Reggae icon would be performing in the twin island republic next year April, several articles explaining why Buju Banton should not be allowed entry or perform in the country have surfaced.
Last month, Joshua Surtees wrote an article with the headline ‘No Place for Buju’s Hate Music in TT’. The piece outlined reasons why the “I Wanna Be Loved” singer should not be allowed to perform, pointing out that not only does the Grammy-winning Jamaican star ‘make murder music’, but he has been convicted of a crime for which he spent almost a decade in prison.
The article explained that, according to Trinidad and Tobago Immigration Law, Banton’s conviction makes him illegible for entry into the country and charges the T&T Government to take care of their citizens by standing by their laws. “There is no place for hate in Trinidad and no place for hatred in music. So I was somewhat disturbed by the announcement that Buju Banton will perform here next year, after his release from prison. Banton makes murder music. His lyrics literally encourage the murder of gay people,” Surtees wrote.
“The Trinidadian government has a duty of care to its citizens and should uphold its immigration law, which prohibits entry to anybody convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment of a year or more. Banton got ten years for drug trafficking,” he continued.
However while an entertainment lawyer has since confirmed that Surtees’ statements about the law in Trinidad and Tobago as being correct, Buju Baton’s team has been tight-lipped on the matter.
