Close to two years after his first performance in Guyana resulted in a ban imposed against him, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn is maintaining his position that Jamaican dancehall artiste Kevon ‘Skeng’ Douglas is only allowed to perform at private events in private spaces.
Douglas, who is popularly known for his songs which promote the use of guns, crime and violence, is scheduled to perform in Guyana on April 27, 2024.
The event, which is titled ‘The Real All Black Party’ is being hosted by New Era Entertainment. It is slated to take place at the Retrieve Ground in Linden.
Noting that Douglas cannot be prevented from entering the country, Benn said he is only allowed to perform at events being held at private venues.
“We can’t stop him coming to Guyana. The question is what for?
“My position is that he should not be doing public events. He could go in a club, with friends, which is a restricted place and behave bad with his friends and whoever,” Benn told the News Room on Wednesday.
He further noted that he will be engaging the police about the upcoming event which is expected to feature Douglas.
“I will be checking with the police to see what the police doing…I got to talk to the police again to hear what they saying.
“We can’t got lawlessness with gun shooting off and people encouraging violence against women and against youngsters and criminal things,” the security minister emphasised.
Before such events take place, rules are in place for permission to be granted from several authorities, including the Guyana Police Force.
When contacted on Thursday, Police Commander for Region Ten, Guy Nurse told the News Room that he has not received any application for the event to take place in the mining town.
In keeping with protocols, Nurse explained that such applications are usually made three weeks before the date of event.
Asked whether he will be granting permission for the concert to take place in light of the circumstances, Nurse told the News Room that a decision will be made once an application is received.
“To date I have not received any such application.
“When the application is made, it will be looked at,” Nurse said.
Douglas first visited Guyana to perform at the ‘Baderation’ concert which was held in May 2022 at the National Park.
However, the show came to an abrupt end shortly after Douglas took the stage.
The crowd, including the entertainers, were forced to run for cover after gunshots rang out and glass bottles were tossed in the air.
The incident raised concerns about the level of security at the event and a police investigation was launched.
Subsequently, Benn announced that Douglas was banned from performing publicly in Guyana.
The decision was taken to stop the promotion of vulgarity and gun violence.
