• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Jamaica bans music and TV shows which glorify criminal activity

Home> News

Published 08:20 14 Oct 2022 GMT+1

Jamaica bans music and TV shows which glorify criminal activity

Content that ‘glorifies illegal activity’ - for example, gun and drug use - has been banned by Jamaica's broadcasting authority

Aisha Nozari

Aisha Nozari

Content that ‘glorifies illegal activity’ - for example, gun and drug use - has been banned by Jamaica's broadcasting authority.

A list of specific topics that are now banned has been made public and the broadcasting agency’s new rule covers both TV and radio.

The ban has been widely criticised by artists in Jamaica, who argue that music is a reflection of life.

Advert

Content that ‘glorifies illegal activity’ has been banned by Jamaica's broadcasting authority.
robertharding / Alamy Stock Photo

The ban comes amid ‘high levels of violent crime in Jamaica’ and notes that in 2021, the island nation had one of the highest murder rates in all of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Jamaica's broadcasting agency says that it hopes the move will prevent ‘the wrong impression that criminality is an accepted feature of Jamaican culture and society’ while keeping the airwaves ‘clean’.

Station operators must take immediate steps to comply.

Advert

The broadcasting agency also expressed concern that ‘offensive’ content could ‘normalise’ criminal activity among ‘vulnerable and impressionable youths’.

Jamaica's musical artists were quick to criticise the move, with Romeich, a local music manager and producer, writing on Instagram: "We can't stop the creatives (artists) from singing about what they see around them or grew around.”

Romeich also pondered: “[Is] Jamaica the only country that has children? Because the same children listen to these same songs elsewhere.”

Advert

Grammy award-winning music producer and singer Di Genius tweeted sarcastically: "Yay! Crime and violence gonna magically stop now.”

He added: "[In my opinion] the move is more of a 'look we're doing something' more than actually trying to do something.”

Their sentiment was largely echoed on Twitter, with plenty people writing comments like: “Banning music will solve Jamaica’s crime problem? Did music introduce gun violence into Jamaica? Did music set policies to mess up people's lives?”, “When is Jamaica going to realise dancehall music isn’t to blame for the crime and violence. It’s P O V E R T Y. Blame poverty. Cancel poverty. Ban poverty” and “Not jamaica banning the songs and not the actual crimes.”

It’s not the first time Jamaica has enforced a music ban.

Advert

Back in 2009, when ‘daggering’ - a form of sexually-suggestive dancing - became popular, regulators clamped down on music promoting sex and violence. 

In a statement explaining the decision, the broadcasting commission said at the time that although freedom of expression had to be regarded, content that promoted criminality was at loggerheads with the ‘tenets of responsible broadcasting’.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected] 

Featured Image Credit: REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo/Uliana Bazar / Alamy Stock Photo

Topics: World News, Music, Film and TV

Aisha Nozari
Aisha Nozari

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
5 hours ago
  • 4 hours ago

    Someone who invested $7,793 into Bitcoin 14 years ago and only just accessed it is now worth a staggering amount

    After 14 years of lying dormant, two bitcoin wallets holding 10,000 bitcoin each were activated this week

    News
  • 4 hours ago

    Elon Musk reveals 'two-part plan' to take control of US Congress with 'America Party'

    The Tesla boss has a new idea to shake up politics in the US

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    Expert issues urgent warning for anyone thinking about travelling whilst on Ozempic or Mounjaro

    Those on Ozempic or Mounjaro may face problems abroad if they don't declare it

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    YouTuber Nikocado Avocado shares shocking results of plastic surgery after 250lb weight loss

    Nikocado explained that following his weight loss, he sought the help of a plastic surgeon

    News
  • Netflix lists 105 TV shows and movies leaving in July including 100% rated mini-series
  • Netflix fans have found new obsession in '10/10' series climbing TV charts labeled 'Elite on steroids'
  • Five epic movies that have just arrived on Netflix include 'cinematic masterpiece' which 'not enough people have seen'
  • Ben Stiller explains why he bans chairs and phones from his film sets