The Jamaican Broadcasting Commission has banned all explicit references to sex and violence in songs and videos aired on radio or television. "Dancehall" style music and videos that show "daggering' the grinding, pelvic-thrusting dance that is popular with the young Jamaicans has been banned on the island. This means that there is effectively a ban on American hip-hop and Trinidadian soca music. A recent article published in the Jamaica Gleaner states that "dancehall is being used as a convenient scapegoat for underage sex and juvenile delinquency."Quoted from: The Week, March 6, 2009.
In her recently published book 'Pleaures and Perils' (Rutgers Press, 2009), Debra Curtis, Ph.D explores the complex relationships between music, videos and commodities such as cell phones in the sexual attitudes of teenagers on the Caribbean island of Nevis. This move by the Jamaican government may have wider implications for teens and it will be interesting to see how restricting access to the music and policing a dance style will go over in Jamaica.
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