Buju Banton Stirs Controversy With COVID-19, Jamaica Lockdown Statements
The Gargamel Buju Banton set off a firestorm on Instagram this morning after he posted a video in which he cautioned Jamaicans to be wary of the island’s anti-COVID-19 programme, and expressed displeasure about the Government’s protracted lockdown of the country.
In the 80 second clip, Buju cited Tanzanian president John Magufuli as a black leader who was looking out for his nation’s interest and not taking the “side of multi-national companies”, a statement which some followers claimed was an indirect comparison with Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
“Yuh si weh di Tanzania president duh? Him mek ure him check him health system… The first thing he did was test that test (kit) that they sent to him on a goat, and on a papaya. You see what happen? Di goat and di papaya come back positive,” Buju said.
Magufuli’s handling of Tanzania’s COVID-19 pandemic has been widely criticized. He has also claimed that the COVID-19 tests are fake, saying they returned positive results on a papaya (paw-paw), a quail and a goat at the country’s national laboratory. Snopes currently rates the president’s claim as unproven with “the significant caveat that Magufuli has gone against public health officials’ advice for helping his residents overcome COVID-19”.
The Grammy award winning artiste also pointed out that Jamaicans had gotten and remained passive, even though now is the time for extreme vigilance.
“Oonu betta be careful yuh nuh Jamaica. Becaw mi hear some talk a mek by some people weh shoulda have our best interest at heart, and to me it sounds like we have some traitors amongst us enuh. And some a oonu just figure seh choo a guy speak well or look well dat is enough. Oonu be careful enuh, oonu fi wake up,” he declared.
“If a guy a get 15,000 fi seh oou have COVID virus and 39,000 fi put oonu pon ventilator, who a meck di money? None a oonu can’t come out a oonu house guh mek no money. Pikney dem can’t guh a school; a joke ting. Eveybaddy a teck step fi open dem coutry; all mi si Jamaica a duh a contract,” he added.
Gargamel’s post left followers polarized. Those backing him said, among other things, that his message was very awakening. Those at the other end of the spectrum, said they were confused as the artiste’s message was incoherent.
Others labelled his statements as irresponsible as Jamaica was not ready for a reopening of the economy as the virus has not yet peaked in the country.
There were many funny comments from his female fans who said they were unable to focus on what the 46 year old was saying, as they were mesmerized by his beautiful dark skin. “All now mi nuh hear weh Buju say. Him height, him skin colour and him eye dem distract mi too much,” Andrea Tomlinson wrote.
Some followers repudiated the Stamina Daddy’s ventilator remarks, arguing that any claim about Governments making money from putting people on ventilators, was illogical. “When you say that somebody’s making money from the Cornavirus, and if that person has to be put on ventilator, who is footing the bill when most people in Jamaica don’t have health insurance? So can someone make money from that? Buju, big man thing, that don’t make sense,” bigben2507 countered.
Another follower vaughn_tucker, cautioned Buju that he, like everyone else, was relying on sites like Google and YouTube for information on the virus, and accused him of indirectly aiming his remarks at the Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness. “We all know that the side talk is the prime minister yu talking, but you don’t want the controversy so you don’t want to be plain but mystic…Love most of your music but if yu don’t have evidence, not wise to speak like this,” he said.
This is not the first time Buju has poured scorn on the controversies surrounding COVID. In a recent interview with Level, he told his interviewer that he had disregarded physical distancing and statistical reports, questioned why “fake television reporters” were not wearing masks and expressed consternation about the “confusing advice” being disseminated by the media.
Reggae sensation Chronixx, in a contentious and later deleted Instagram post last month, also stirred controversy when he asserted that the pandemic was an intentional and vicious exploit, designed for profit by “tech heads and warheads”.
Jamaica recorded two new cases of the virus today, pushing the island-wide total to 507, while deaths from the disease stand at 9.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced during a press briefing on Monday (May 11), that the island would begin relaxing restrictions on churches for a two-week trial period starting on May 16. Community bars will be allowed to reopen on May 19.