When T.O.K’s Chi Chi Man was released in the early 2000s, the song was one of many Dancehall singles that condemned homosexuality. Though the song remains one of the Dancehall group’s most well-known tracks, T.O.K announced that they would no longer perform it in 2023 after years of international scrutiny about homophobia in Dancehall.
While T.O.K may no longer see the need to perform Chi Chi Man, Member of Parliament Daryl Vaz considered it a necessity at the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Clarendon South Eastern constituency conference on Sunday. Before Vaz exited the stage, the minister said that he could not leave the stage without playing the song first.
“Soundman, Yuh tink me can come offa dah stage yah and yuh nuh run chi chi man,” Vaz said, using the local slang once popular to describe gay men.
Vaz’s statement was met with raucous applause from attendees, prompting the minister to tell the sound system selector to restart the song. He went on to state, “Labourites… whether them inna Portland, St Thomas, St Andrew, Clarendon, anyweh dem deh, yuh know wah fi duh” before leaving the stage.
It is not clear if the minister’s closing statement was in reference to the controversial song or to previous statements made in his speech.
Following Sunday’s conference, the Equality for All Foundation (EFAF), formerly the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), demanded an apology on Monday. In a statement released on X, EFAF the rights group expressed its disappointment in the use of “homophobic slurs” and condemned Vaz’s actions.
Highlighting that both of the country’s political parties had previously dubbed such actions inappropriate, the EFAF called for stronger guidelines.
“In the previous elections, both political parties very publicly declared that homophobia was inappropriate on the campaign trail following some unfortunate comments made in East Central St Catherine. Fast forward five years, and we are we’re seeing a homophobic song being teased at another rally. There is a clear need for stronger guidelines on what is to be expected on the campaign trail. And the question we must ask ourselves, why is this kind of rhetoric needed at all?” the statement read.
The statement also called for Jamaica’s political leaders to conduct themselves at a higher standard.
“Our political leaders are expected to conduct themselves at a higher standard, and they should not, in the excitement of politics, seek to undo the slow progress we as a society have worked hard to achieve,” the statement said.
See the EFAF’s fun statement below.
