Youth group against Alkaline performing in Guyana

Shereita Grizzle, STAR Writer

He is set to make his first appearance in Guyana over the weekend, but his imminent performance in the country has been met by heavy resistance by at least one outreach organisation.

Joshua Generation, the Youth Arm of Love and Faith World Outreach Ministries, have made it clear that they do not support the move by Hits and Jams Entertainment to have dancehall artiste Alkaline perform at their Jamzone Summer Break.

The youth outreach group is hoping the organisers will think twice about the artiste's appearance. In their letter to the country's national newspaper, Starbroeke, the group gave reasons why they oppose Alkaline's performance.

"We've decided that we will take a stand and make it known that we do not appreciate and will not condone Hits and Jams bringing artistes like Alkaline to our land. This is a position we maintain in relation to this particular artiste and any others whose music and lifestyle do nothing to positively uplift our youth," they said.

The youth group used the artiste's ban in other countries to support their stance. "It has been made public that Alkaline, Tommy Lee and other artistes of similar nature have been barred from performing in some countries, therefore, begging the question as to why we should expose our youth to this level of vulgarity."

The letter goes on to state that Alkaline and other dancehall artistes, including Tommy Lee, play an important part in the deterioration of the society's moral standings. Not only is the group asking that the artiste's performance be cancelled, but they are also calling on the nation's president to act on getting local radio stations to stop playing the artiste's music.

Despite the opinions of the youth organisation, it seems to be all systems go for the young artiste. The Weekend STAR was told by a member of Alkaline's management team that the artiste will be performing as scheduled.

"The promoters have assured us that he will be performing as scheduled, nothing has changed," the representative said. The 19-year-old entertainer, who has been booked for the show since June, is set to perform on Saturday.

shereita.grizzle@gleanerjm.com