The South of France can resist murder music .... promoter assures no homo hate lyrics were performed at Capleton's show

FOLLOWING THE CAPLETON TOUR:
EN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE CAN RESIST MURDER MUSIC

Press release No. TR101INT09F2

Fort-de-France, Friday 6 August 2010
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On Friday 23 July CAPLETON appeared at Six-Fours-les-Plages (Var, South of France). This Jamaican singer is, however, well known for his lyrics which call for the murder of LGBT people (lesbians, gays, bi- and trans-sexuals), such as “Burn out a queer, Blood out a queer” (from Bun Out Di Chi Chi).

Mr Rabah HOUIA, Manager of the SUD CONCERTS company which organised the concert, took the trouble to reply to our Letter to Human Rights Organisations in Toulon and in the Var of 2 July. “We condemn unreservedly any form of homphobie”, he says in an email of 20 July, adding: “At this time we cannot, and have not the means to, go back on our contractual commitments.

We shall be more vigilant in future. I commit myself to this. And I assure you that no singer who has expressed any form of homophobic sentiment will ever again be invited.”

TJENBÉ RÈD welcomes this commitment which shows that there are some in the music world, like SUD CONCERTS (Marseilles), the Bikini (Toulouse) and the CCO (Villeurbanne) who understand and support the fight for a universal respect for human rights.

For the record, CAPLETON was invited by the international Stop Murder Music (SMM) campaign - coordinated in France by TJENBÉ RÈD - to sign a code of practice, the Reggae Compassionate Act (RCA), as were Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Buju Banton, Elephant Man, Sizzla, Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Dr Evil and Leftside.

We stand alongside activists in the struggle against AIDS and all forms of homophia, who are, in Jamaica, reduced to silence and threatened with death. We do not forget that Steven HARVEY, an activist in the struggle against AIDS, was murdered in Jamaica in 2005, just because of his
homosexuality.

For TJENBÉ RÈD,

Chair, David AUERBACH CHIFFRIN
+596 (0)6 96 05 24 55 (Martinique
+33 (0)6 10 55 63 60 (France)
Fax: +33 (0)1 76 50 59 79
contact@tjenbered.fr

[1] 13 juillet 2010 - Photographies de la manifestation de Tjenbé Rèd lors de la venue de
Capleton à l’Élysée Montmartre à Paris
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100713-99.html

[2] 20 juillet 2010 - Courriel de Monsieur Rabah Houia, directeur de la société Sud Concerts, à
l’association Tjenbé Rèd Document confidentiel, réf. 100720-89.pdf

[3] 2 juillet 2010 - Stop Murder Music ! Capleton à Toulon !? (Lettre aux organisations de
défense des droits humains à Toulon et dans le Var) - Communication n°TR10INT09F
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100702-06.pdf
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English translation of this French original text. In the event of any differences between the
English translation and the French original, the French text shall prevail. Translated by T. E.

6 août 2010 - Après la tournée de Capleton : Le sud de la France peut résister à la murder
music - Communiqué de presse n°TR10INT09F2
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100806-00.pdf [fr]
http://www.tjenbered.fr/2010/20100806-09.pdf [en]

ENDS