Homophobic Lyrics Get 11 Albums Blacklisted And Illegal To Sell In Germany

A list complied by the German Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (BPjM) has shown that Germany has acted to blacklist 11 dancehall albums between 2008 and January 2010 due to their homophobic content.

Artists who have had albums blacklisted include Sizzla, Elephant Man, Bounty Killer, Capleton, TOK and Baby Cham which means it is now illegal for these albums to be either advertised or sold to minors in Germany. According to Corinna Bochmann, the BPjM spokesperson, out of the eleven albums blacklisted ten were not only considered harmful to minors, but also went as far inciting hatred and promoting the killing of homosexuals.

Indexed following complaints by the German gay lobby, Bochmann told the Jamaica Sunday Observer that the department itself does itself decide what to ban but that:

“The BPjM can only act on the request of other administrative institutions, not by itself. Once an official request has been filed, the BPjM is obliged to act,”

The blacklisting of the albums has been met with some criticism by those in the reggae world with Ellen Köhlings, editor of German reggae magazine Riddim saying that that move by the gay lobby is as much for it’s benefit as for stamping out homophobia:

“These lyrics violate German laws which gives the lobbyists legal grounds to successfully censor music and gain media exposure,”

“The gay lobby is looking for cheap forwards just like some artistes look for a cheap forward,”

Köhlings did however believe there was room for a compromise where the artists maintained their anti-gay views but removed any threat of violence, saying:

“At the end of the day there are much more urgent things to talk about than homophobia, and artistes should leave out, in my mind, the violent bashing of gays.”

Whilst Germany does appear most proactive in removing homophobic albums from the shelves, there have also been successful protests in US, Australia and New Zealand to stop performances by Buju Banton and Beenie Man, something which Jason McFarlane of the Jamaican gay rights organisation, J-Flag believes is justified because:

“Their music promotes violence, hate and hardship for members of a community that at no time has threatened or hurt them in any way. This is an unwarranted and unprovoked assault on a set of people who have a right to exist,”

“The influence of music on any society must not be under-estimated. What must be understood is that artistes have a right to express what they feel but also must be held responsible for the possible impact they can have on people. Music, in particular Reggae and Dancehall, is universal and so we must be aware of the wide reach of the possible influence of any one artiste.”