Coke's 'murder music' response: 'too little, too late'

By Paul Canning

Following my writing about Coca-Cola's sponsorship of a music festival in Jamaica where 'murder music' was performed, the company has finally responded. Activists went public following their 'patience running out' after what they called a "protracted but unproductive written and phone communication" with Steve Bucherati, Coca-Cola's Chief Diversity Officer.

A comment was posted by Carlos Diaz, Coca-Cola Franchise Operations Director for South Caribbean to care2.com and LGBT Asylum News and the same response was published as a letter in Jamaica's Daily Gleaner.

Diaz wrote:

"We, too, were deeply disappointed that a program intended to celebrate the heritage of Jamaica included an unacceptable performance that in no way represents the views or values of the Coca-Cola system."

At the Coke Zero Live event in Jamaica in April the reggae artist Sizzla performed the notorious hate anthem 'Boom Bye Bye' which literally calls for the murder of homosexuals.

Veteran Jamaican activist Maurice Tomlinson says that there is at least one documented instance in Jamaica where 'Boom Bye Bye' was directly linked to the murder of a gay man.

"Diversity is one of our key values, and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on sexual orientation," wrote Diaz.

"As a result of this regrettable incident by one artist, we are reassessing and strengthening our efforts to ensure that events we sponsor are not used as platforms for espousing hatred and discrimination. We are continuing to work with the advocacy groups that brought this situation to our attention."

"We apologize to all who were offended by this performance, and we we want to ensure that our views on this incident are clear."

The response was described as "too little too late" by Tomlinson.

Tomlinson and the group AIDS-Free World have been trying to get a public response from Coca-Cola for over six months. It was only when I wrote about it, after AIDS-Free World released a letter to Steve Bucherati, that Coca-Cola publicly responded.

"After Sizzla used a worldwide platform provided by Coke to call for the execution of gays," says Tomlinson, "a fact which was brought to the attention of the company nearly six months ago, the organization feels that a blog post and a letter to the editor will now make all well again. This is ludicrous."

"One wonders if Sizzla, instead of calling for the execution of gays, had instead demanded the death of all Jews. Would Coke's response have taken the form and the length of time it did? I doubt it."

"The fact is that Coke's response to this hateful tirade by Sizzla palpably demonstrates the (lack of) regard the company has for the notion of equality of homosexuals. Coke can and must do more to make this right."

Diaz's comment does not respond to the four 'asks' which have been made of Coca-Cola:

This is what Coca-Cola is being asked to do:

1. Publish a full-page advertisement in the Sunday edition of the three major Jamaican newspapers (the Jamaica Gleaner, the Jamaica Observer and the Sunday Herald) as well as a full-page advertisement in the Western Mirror denouncing Sizzla’s homophobic performance and expressing support for sexual diversity;
2. Issue a formal statement explaining that it will no longer sponsor artistes who are known to have performed and refuse to apologize for homophobic songs;
3. Include a clause in all future sponsorship agreements prohibiting homophobic speech or actions against performers, and in the event of a breach, specifying sanctions, including a termination of the sponsorship arrangement; and
4. Sponsor a concert in Jamaica devoted entirely to artists who have not engaged in homophobic slurs, and that specific condition would be the centrepiece of the advertising for the concert.

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Video: Why is Coca-Cola sponsoring 'Murder Music'?

Source: jdmfilm1

Sizzla performance begins at 13.55.

By Paul Canning

A protest against Coca-Cola's sponsorship of a 'murder music' festival in Jamaica has hit a dead end as the company has stopped negotiations with activists.

The group AIDS-Free World as well as the veteran Jamaican activist Maurice Tomlinson have been talking to them since 'murder music' was performed during the 4-day Coke Zero Live concert in Montego Bay, Jamaica in late April 2011.

'Murder music' promotes violence against LGBT people through its lyrics. It primarily comes from certain dancehall and ragga artists such as Buju Banton, Bounty Killer, Sizzla and Capleton. There has been a campaign against it since the 1990s which has won important victories.

At the Coke Zero Live event Sizzla performed the notorious hate anthem 'Boom Bye Bye' which literally calls for the murder of homosexuals. Sizzla is unable to find performance venues in either the UK or USA because of his reputation. In 2004 he was among a group of artists who were being investigated by Scotland Yard for allegedly inciting murder of homosexuals through their lyrics.

Tomlinson says that there is at least one documented instance in Jamaica where 'Boom Bye Bye' was directly linked to the murder of a gay man.

AIDS-Free World has now written to Steve Bucherati, Coca-Cola's Chief Diversity Officer, accusing them of engaging in a "protracted but unproductive written and phone communication."

"It is inconceivable to us that you have utterly failed to respond to our efforts to focus your attention on Coca-Cola’s indefensible sponsorship decision," they write.

"Our patience has run out." 

Bucherati had claimed, says Tomlinson, that the company’s local staff were are not aware of Sizzla’s global reputation for inciting the torture and execution of homosexuals. He also claimed to have submitted a letter of apology to regional Jamaican newspapers, which was never published.

Bucherati, says Tomlinson, promised to submit an article to all Jamaican newspapers once the sponsorship policy review was completed, apologizing for the Sizzla concert and announcing a new corporate policy.

"The Coca-Cola Company’s sponsorship of any murder music is inexplicable. Your subsequent failure to act immediately to ensure that Coca-Cola disavowed the sort of public frenzy of homophobia whipped up by Sizzla cannot be excused," they say.

"Months ago, you assured us that Coca-Cola had suspended all concert sponsorships in Jamaica, and had in fact undertaken a worldwide review of its sponsorship policies in all of its global markets so as to avoid another incident like the Sizzla debacle. However, you failed to commit to a timeline for this alleged sponsorship policy review, and gave us no way to gauge the review’s progress, if any has been made."

Coca-Cola, says the letter, "has the resources and capacity to initiate and complete projects with great speed, provided that it considers them important."

In September, Coca Cola's CEO, Muhtar Kent, was honored at the Clinton Global Initiative for being among the first to join the 10-year-old Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (now known as GBC Health).

Says AIDS-Free World:

"Coca -Cola hasn't just fallen short of the voluntary corporate social responsibility ideals to which the company has committed itself under the UN Global Compact; Coca-Cola’s actions have affirmatively produced damage ... Until Coca-Cola takes the lead in denouncing homophobia, and takes decisive and public action in remedy, the public will be left with the impression that The Coca-Cola Company endorses violence, human rights violations, and homophobia."

This is what Coca-Cola is being asked to do:

1. Publish a full-page advertisement in the Sunday edition of the three major Jamaican newspapers (the Jamaica Gleaner, the Jamaica Observer and the Sunday Herald) as well as a full-page advertisement in the Western Mirror denouncing Sizzla’s homophobic performance and expressing support for sexual diversity;
2. Issue a formal statement explaining that it will no longer sponsor artistes who are known to have performed and refuse to apologize for homophobic songs;
3. Include a clause in all future sponsorship agreements prohibiting homophobic speech or actions against performers, and in the event of a breach, specifying sanctions, including a termination of the sponsorship arrangement; and
4. Sponsor a concert in Jamaica devoted entirely to artists who have not engaged in homophobic slurs, and that specific condition would be the centrepiece of the advertising for the concert.
   

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• Questioning corporate America's response to homophobia abroad (madikazemi.blogspot.com)