Back-pedalling on Buju

Buju Banton
Buju Banton

DURING the Love and Harmony Celebrity cruise that sailed from Florida last Saturday to Grand Cayman and Jamaica before heading back to Florida yesterday, word spread over social media that incarcerated reggae singer Buju Banton (Mark Myrie) will do his first concert, upon release from prison, in TT. In a story by Richard Johnson, senior reporter with the Jamaica Observer newspaper, he said the announcement came from Jodian Ebanks, a member of the singer’s marketing team, at a media briefing held during the cruise aboard the Celebrity Summit vessel.

However a certain amount of back-pedalling has been taking place as it appears the organisers of the cruise weren’t too pleased with the April concert revelation, nor did Jamaicans like the idea that Buju’s first concert on his release will take place in this country.

TT promoter Glenroy Watson apologised last week to the organisers of the Love and Harmony cruise saying the report
was erroneous. He also expressed regret that the announcement was made during the cruise, and apologised to Buju Banton’s management team.

To the infuriated Jamaicans and others on the artiste’s management team, Watson said it was a mis-speak. “There is absolutely no confirmation just yet as to where Buju will perform first. We have confirmed our date for the TT show in April but that is it. We could never say where Buju will perform first,” said Watson, who assured fans that he has indeed secured an April 2019 date for a concert that will be headlined by Buju. He is completing a nine-year sentence at the McRae Correctional Facility in Georgia for a 2009 drug conviction and is scheduled to be released on December 8.

But there is also the question as to whether Buju Banton can in fact perform in TT, because of his conviction and incarceration. Sources from the police and Immigration department said special provisions could be made for him to perform.

Comments

"Back-pedalling on Buju"

More in this section