Reggae star Buju Banton has delivered a sharp reply to Jamaica’s prime minister: the country’s musicians do more than wave its flag — they help give it meaning around the world.
The reggae star has defended Beenie Man after Andrew Holness accused Beenie Man of ‘lying’ and sharply upbraided entertainers who had adapted the practice of benefiting from Jamaica’s international appeal while damaging its reputation through criticism overseas.
The exchange follows Beenie Man’s interview with ITV News, in which the dancehall veteran questioned the distribution of Hurricane Melissa relief funds and raised concerns about coastal development and the livelihoods of beach communities.
Responding on social media, Buju rejected the suggestion that entertainers could fill venues simply by displaying Jamaica’s colours.
“No you wrong, we do not wave the flag, we are the brand Jamaica, we can’t wave a flag and people attend an event, it takes hard work, credibility, plus a body of work to get people more into Jamaican culture and we have been pushing brand Jamaica long before you enter politics, go check the file,” he wrote.
His closing rebuke was unmistakable: “Big man anno so you do things.”
Holness had spoken on Wednesday, October 28, at a ceremony reopening reconstructed wards at Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth, a year after the hurricane devastated the area. Defending the recovery programme, he said more than J$300 million had been spent repairing the hospital and suggested Beenie Man should have been invited to see the work himself.
“It is a lie that was told on Jamaica by someone who benefits from brand Jamaica and we must call them out because they go and wave our flag and get people to attend their shows while they are out there tearing down the country,” Holness said.
“It is not going to help one more person get one more grant, and these things need to be said. Unfortunately I am the only one willing to say it.”
Buju Banton challenged the prime minister’s portrayal of entertainers and their contribution.
Behind the sharp words lies a substantive dispute over disaster recovery. Beenie Man told ITV that assistance was failing to reach people who needed it and urged Jamaicans to demand accountability collectively.
His criticism came against a documented backdrop of slow spending from one particular relief fund. According to reporting on an auditor general’s review, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management had spent J$26.2 million — 1.8 per cent of J$1.44 billion in cash donations — by February 23, 2026. That finding concerned a specific pool of donations at that date, rather than the Government’s entire recovery expenditure.
Holness, meanwhile, acknowledged shortcomings but argued that critics were overlooking extensive reconstruction and the scale of the disaster.
Buju’s intervention widens the argument beyond grants and rebuilding. His contention is that Jamaica’s cultural ambassadors have earned their audiences through decades of work — and that representing the country abroad does not require them to withhold criticism of its government.
