Tightening up on Slackness in Dancehall

Esther Tyson, Principal of Ardenne High, wrote a very telling column in the Gleaner of Sunday, April 6, 2008, about the rampant and scandalous “slackness” that is promoted by and accompanies dancehall. Interestingly she viewed dancehall not only as a music genre but as “a culture which impacts dress, fashion and body language”. I have always held to this perspective on this indigenous music form. I must commend the esteemed principal for her poignant and perceptive perspectives on dancehall.

It is my view that, paradoxically, emanating from reggae, dancehall music and the wider dancehall culture have done much good and much evil at the same time. A few academics connected to the University of the West Indies have championed the cause of dancehall as a social phenomenon and, indeed, it is a genre that must be recognized as a major Jamaican achievement. It is amazing that such a small nation has been able to contribute so much to the world in the area of original music developments.

However, like many of the dancehall artistes themselves, the dancehall culture tends to promote attitudes, behaviours, and lifestyles that seem countercultural and downright immoral. I believe Ian Boyne has highlighted this aspect of dancehall on a few occasions. I wonder whether the policy makers and power brokers have been reading his columns.

Recently, the Broadcasting Commission had to pull some obnoxiously offensive dancehall songs from the airwaves. Many have affirmed this move, claiming that we must not allow the respective dancehall artistes to run roughshod over whatever is left of the moral fabric of Jamaican society. Others, understandably and expectedly, opposed the moved with vehement claims about their constitutional right to freedom of expression. Be that as it may, any well-thinking person would agree that some dancehall songs do promote immorality and “slackness”.

Some say that music is amoral; they claim that it is not inherently evil or bad. However, a part of the music is the lyrics that can incite goodness or badness, or, as Ms. Tyson puts it, “slackness”. Says Ms. Tyson in her column, “this exposure to unbridled slackness from an early age has ensured that we produce a generation whose morality has been warped from the beginning.” What more can I write. That a high school principal has stated this is quite heartening. Her point underscores the crux of the matter- morality.

The dancehall culture is just an index of the crisis of morality that faces us. We must face this monster head on and defeat it! We must tighten the noose around the neck of this animal called “slackness” now! I call upon all community organizations, NGOs, and the collective Christian presence (church) in Jamaica to implement policies and champion initiatives to steer young people away from this path onto one that is more wholesome and uplifting. We have got to find ways to get the youths to move from the dancehall to the community centre hall and the church hall. May the good Lord help us in our efforts.