CE’CILE sul sessismo e l’omofobia nella dancehall

CE'CILE sul sessismo e l'omofobia nella dancehall

«Right now I have a song called Do It To Me. It’s about oral sex. We call it 'bowing' and it’s a big taboo in Jamaica. There have been so many songs by men saying it is a bad, dirty thing to do for them to do to a woman, but they're still happy to say that we should do it to them, so I’m like… enough already! Sometimes as a woman you need to come out and be assertive and push and shock people, you need to be seen and heard. It’s true of other things, too. Like I think it’s ridiculous that people are so homophobic in dancehall. I have nothing against people being gay and never will. Men being homophobic are also, by implication, being misogynist to me and I will keep saying that, no matter what».
Such an uncompromising attitude makes Charlton a truly original voice, but freedom of expression comes at a price and has even led to a stern warning from one of her peers that she could be dicing with her livelihood.
«I was told that the things I was saying in my songs could mash up my career, but my reaction was that if that was the case, then my career needed to be mashed up,» she reveals defiantly. «If I can’t write and sing what I want then I shouldn’t be singing in the first place».
(The Guardian – January 2004 – article by Dave Stelfox)

«I don't go on stage and tell people to 'bun batty man', because I don't agree with that at all. I only want to give positive messages, but it is frustrating that the media often seems to be interested in only that aspect of dancehall. My songs are about love, good times – and, yeah, sex», Charlton says with a laugh. «But the main idea is one of people coming together. People need to know that these messages exist, too, and that dancehall is here for everyone».
(The Independent – September 2004 – article by Dave Stelfox)
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