BY RICHARD JOHNSON—
Observer senior reporter—
Buju Banton performing on the opening leg of the Long Walk to Freedom tour at the National Stadium in Kingston on March 16
Dancehall star Buju Banton continued his Long Walk to Freedom tour in the Caribbean island of Dominica last Saturday, with a performance at that country’s 21st annual World Creole Music Festival.
From all reports, the Gargamel gave the patrons gathered at Windsor Park Sports Stadium, in the capital Roseau, what many are saying was the highlight of the festival, dropping the tracks he has been known for throughout his nearly 30-year career. The artiste has also been lauded for incorporating the madras, the national fabric of Dominica, into his stage attire for the event. However, local media entities were left with a sour taste after the artiste failed to grant any interviews and were concerned at the level of security during his visit.
Reports out of Dominica state that members of the media were not pleased with the stipulations laid down by the artiste and his team, but were told that they had to respect the security measures associated with the artiste. This included the fact that the media had to vacate the press pit after he performed his first three songs.
In weighing in on the matter, the country’s Director of Tourism Colin Piper explained to one media outlet that these stipulations by Buju Banton were not directed at Dominica or the World Creole Music Festival.
“Certain artistes have certain criteria, so as part of their agreement to perform you either accept those criteria or you don’t. When I looked at the documents, they are not specific to the World Creole Music Festival, they are specific to Buju Banton as an artiste and entertainer — and certain terms and conditions they asked the organizers to meet as part of their willingness to perform,” Piper is quoted as saying.
“Artistes have conditions as it relates to what hotel they stay in, what their accommodations is,” he continued.
Since the launch concert for the tour in Jamaica, Buju has been making stops across the region as well as in Europe to re-establish contact with his fan base and earn new support. The Long Walk to Freedom tour has taken the artiste and his Til Shiloah band to The Bahamas, Trinidad, Barbados, Suriname, Grenada, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, and St Kitts. He also performed as one of the headliners at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay in July. Following these Caribbean stops he headed to Europe, playing dates in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, France, and Belgium.
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