Jamaica’s broadcasting regulator has banned music and television broadcasting deemed to glorify or promote criminal activity, violence, drug use, scamming, and weapons.
The directive says that channels should avoid “urban slang” words such as “jungle justice,” “food,” “wallet,” “burner phone,” “client,” or anything that has to do with making money, wire transfers, acquiring wealth or a lavish lifestyle.
According to the Jamaican government, the ban is meant to cut back on material that “could give the wrong impression that criminality is an accepted feature of Jamaican culture and society.” The ban comes after efforts by authorities to stop high levels of gun violence.
According to Insight Crime, Jamaica has the highest murder rate in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2021.
The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica said in a release that the music or videos on public broadcasts that promote violence and crime “normalize criminality among vulnerable and impressionable youth.”
Some Jamaican artists criticized the ban, saying that it wouldn’t do much to stop the crime. Jamaican Grammy award-winning music producer and singer told NBC News that “Art imitates life, and the music is coming from what is happening in Jamaica for real. But because it doesn’t fit the moral mold of what they would like it to look like, they try to hamper it.”
