Buju Banton Backs 19-Year-Old Aspirant In Moore Town Maroon Chief Bid
Just like he did in Accompong Town in 2021, Buju Banton has thrown his support behind a new challenger going up against an incumbent Maroon Colonel, this time, in Moore Town Portland.
An election campaign was recently launched in Moore Town, by 19-year-old Lamara “Hope” Dillon, who is seeking to oust Colonel Wallace Sterling, and end his 28-year leadership this Sunday, May 8 when the elections are to be held.
“We Must all keep “H.O.P.E.” Alive!@hopethemaroonprincess,” Buju noted on his Instagram page recently in a show of support.
“Greetings, brothers and sisters of the Rio Grande Valley. I am here to support Sister Hope the first from the line of Nanny. So come the 8th of May, make sure you come out in your tens and your thousands and in your various numbers because hope lies in the youth and Hope is the future,” he added in another post which was shared on Hope’s IG page.
Dillion has been lamenting the underdevelopment within the Maroon settlement, even though the community is rich with resources that are capable of generating income, as the reason for throwing her hat in the ring.
However, according to news reports, the issue of the pending selection has been mired in controversy, as Colonel Sterling, has questioned “the validity of ongoing efforts to call an election”.
Commanding Officer of the Portland Police Division, Superintendent Kenneth Chin, has also reported that Colonel Sterling has said he is not aware of any authorized election, and that he feels “threatened by people associated with another maroon chief”.
However, Dillon is also being backed by Accompong Maroon chief Richard Currie, whose campaign in February last year, was supported by Buju, Spragga Benz and his musical compatriot Protoje, who is a childhood friend of the St. Elizabeth-based chief.
Protoje, Buju Banton, and Spragga Benz threw their full support behind Currie in February last year in what was his successful bid to oust then leader Colonel Ferron Williams. Back then the In Search of Lost Time artiste had voiced dubplates for Currie, using lyrics from his Like Royalty and Blood Money tracks and also visited the community to help him in his leadership campaign leading up to election day
Currie had also posted pictures of himself and Protoje greeting each other, driving through Accompong in a motorcade, as well as posing with community members.
The Munroe College old boy had explained in a subsequent interview that he and Protoje, whose given name is Oje Ken Oliviere, grew up together and were like blood brothers after, after being asked whether he had got Protoje involved in the campaign “in a deliberate attempt to attract wider national attention”.
Protoje had himself paid homage to Currie in his Like Royalty track, placing him amongst those who have always had his back even when he fell on hard times, and also featured the chief in the accompanying video aligning his image with the line: “mi used to sleep pon Currie Couch… dem man deh neva lef mi out”.
Buju, who has declared himself a Maroon descendant of freedom fighters of Moore Town, had also provided video clips endorsing Currie to be leader, claiming at the time that Maroons had suffered as the elders had failed, and so the youths should be called upon.
Months later the Til Shiloh artist demonstrated that the moral support he gave to Currie during the leadership elections in February, was no fluke, spending millions of dollars to equip Accompong with two horses a tractor, and a motor car to aid the Maroons in their sustainable development and self-reliance efforts.