Tanya Stephens, Ce’Cile Call Out Rape Culture In Jamaica
Dancehall artists Tanya Stephens and Ce’cile are not impressed by some of those who have now taken a stand against rape culture and the abuse of women following the murder of Khanice Jackson.
Jackson, a 20-year-old accounting clerk of Portmore, was reportedly abducted at a bus stop after she left home for work on Wednesday. Her body was discovered on Friday in a state of partial decomposition. A 50-year-old mechanic of Portmore, St. Catherine, identified as Robert ‘Backra’ Fowler, is in police custody as a person of interest in her murder.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange, in a release on Friday, said Jackson’s murder has “shaken Jamaica” and we are all “rightly angered and outraged” by it.
Stephens, in an Instagram Live yesterday, called out some of those joining the outrage for their silence on the objectification of women and for disinterest in tackling rape culture over the years.
“Yuh see when me see all the ‘stop the violence’ something dem a go up, forgive me but mi look pon it like ‘f–k unno’ because the only reason why unno a dweet a because unno peace disrupted by blaring imagery,” she said. “Mi seh f–k unno because the victim dem a talk long time and unno nay did a bloodcl–t listen. Mi seh f–k unno cause unno don’t really care, because unno nuh actually waan do nothing.”
The These Streets singer shared her own experience of being raped twice, first at the age of 17 and again two years later. “I am in a position fi enlighten you, not because mi smarter than you, because mi get rape.”
She added, “Mi nuh waan be inna di position fi be able fi enlighten you but mi know wah rape feel like. Mi know weh it feel like physically to me which doesn’t speak for any other survivor. Mi know weh it feel like psychologically to me which doesn’t speak for any other survivor. Mi know weh it feel like emotionally to me which doesn’t speak for any other survivor. But it put me inna one position fi empathise more closely because mi deh within the neighbourhood of feelings, of emotions, of psychology.”
Tanya Stephens also applauded Popcaan for his longtime ‘rapists fi dead’ stance on violence against women, citing his new Jungle Justice (Part Twice) song. But she had mixed feelings about the course of action favored by the Unruly deejay.
“Pon the one hand, mi waan achieve mastery of this life which me feel does not include tek the life of another human but on the other hand, inna mi practical life, mi see which part certain humans put a damper on the progress of the culture and some may also feel like they should be put out of dem misery. So dah conflict deh mi nuh figure a way round it yet.”
Meanwhile, Ce’cile took also to Instagram to call out ‘hypocritical’ disc jockeys and selectors who have dabbled in dubplates that promoted rape culture and abuse of women.
“Im looking in disbelief at some DJocks and selectors saying rapist fi dead and me kaa believe dis. Check u dub box mi G. Mi bbc oonu a hypocrite,” she posted in a graphic yesterday.
“This is just running off mouths. We not serious in taking a stance,” she continued in the post’s caption.
On an Instagram Story, she later added “it’s all good and well to say “stop something,” but if u par with, eat with, drink with, party with, promote with, the very thing u saying needs to stopped, u think u helping to stop anything?”
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