Michelle
A new craze called ‘daggering’ is sweeping the country’s clubs. No, it’s not murder on the dancefloor, it’s simulating sex – and broadcasting regulators are trying to put a stop to it
Radio listeners in Jamaica have been forced to say goodbye to many of their favourite songs, thanks to a new ban on tunes that “promote” sex, violence, murder or arson.
Jamaica’s Broadcasting Commission is trying to put an end to “daggering”, a fad that is sweeping the country’s dancehall and soca clubs. While the term suggests knife attacks, it is actually a sexy dance where fornication is simulated in relatively graphic movements – and, well … that’s it.
Though an initial announcement on 6 February explicitly targeted daggering and daggering-related songs, the latest ban is much broader. Banished from the airwaves is “any recording, live song or music video that promotes and/or glorifies the use of guns or other offensive weapons; any recording, live song or music video which promotes or glorifies any offence against the person such as murder, rape, and mob violence or other offences such as arson.”
The ban applies equally to “soca, hip-hop or any other music”, making the Angels’ My Boyfriend’s Back (“and you’re gonna be in trouble”) just as verboten as Mr Vegas’s hit dancehall tune, Daggering.
The new legislation will not allow radio stations to censor the offending songs. “There shall not be transmitted through radio or television or cable services any audio recording, song or music video which employs editing techniques of ‘bleeping’ or ‘beeping’ of its original lyrical content,” the commission ruled.
With naughty behaviour inspiring much of the past 50 years of popular music, there may not be much left on Jamaican radio by the time the Broadcasting Commission has its way. We can imagine the charts now – a little classical music, part of Tiny Tim’s discography, and some soca tunes about taxes.
admin