Buju Banton's Detroit dates cancelled, replaced by Photography exhibit of GLTBQ Jamaicans

A Buju Banton show which was booked way in August of this year and was slated to happen this Wednesday September 30 was cancelled as the owner of the venue known as Majestic theatre was pressured by metro Detroit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations to abort the gigs.

Buju was slated to perform in the Ann Arbor Bay area but came under intense pressure due to the Boom Bye Bye song controversy.

To help defray the Majestic's costs, local activists The Triangle Foundation and others plan to stage a Wednesday benefit concert at the adjacent Magic Stick. Tickets are $10 for the 8 p.m. show, which will feature local LGBT performers as they say the owner has suported the community over the years so they wanted a positve outcome out of the cancellation. Majestic's director Dave Zainea said the venue stands to lose about $10,000 for canceling its Banton contract.

Zainea, a self-described progressive who has worked with the LGBT community, said he was unaware of the controversy when he booked the show in August."We certainly don't endorse his lyrics or advocate violence," he said.

Also said to happen as a replacement is the first limited showing of a photo project called Photography for Understanding which I helped to organise here in Jamaica in May of this year where Photographer Miss Blakely Slater captured images as seen above and below of REAL GLBTQ Jamaicans in poses with a message of their choosing to reflect how they felt. Please visit the site for more by following the links or clicking the photo above.

Original Post on the Project click here

sample photos from the US.

Project Mission/goals:
Photography for Understanding is a project which uses documentation, creativity and power of photography to highlight issues – in the United States and around the world -- which demand attention and action.

Photography for Understanding → The Jamaica Project.
The current Photography for Understanding Project is the Jamaica Project. It focuses on the issue of violence against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexuals and Transgendered population in Jamaica. The project seeks to raise funds as well for GLBTQ Jamaicans and JFLAG.

50% of the profit from this project will be donated back to Jamaica. The rest will go back into the Photography for Understanding to fund additional projects. Only boycott Jamaican products/people/services/music that specifically are hate orientated.

Howie