www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog
Danah Alleyne before “action” with Akon
Trinicenter.com
Reporters
April 22, 2007
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a response to the many racist comments about the Akon/Danah video clip, especially those that were initially posted on YouTube, among other websites. The two clips that were initially posted on YouTube were removed together with hundreds of racist comments.
Much of the discussion surrounding the Hip-hop/R&B singer Akon’s performance at club Zen on Thursday 12th April, 2007, is really based on racism, unreasoned sexual hang-ups and hypocrisy. The reactions of many who have been buzzing on the radio and the internet are clearly based on their racist and colourist views that paint Akon as a black animal who assaulted a minor and the female as a young, misguided innocent, who was taken advantage of. This is really quite ridiculous. Harsh reactions have also been fuelled by the fact that many knew she was a preacher’s daughter and she was acting contrary to what her father preaches.
Akon and Danah on stage at Zen
Akon is a performer whose act is well known and has been widely publicized on the internet and other entertainment media. His song “Smack That” leaves little to the imagination as to its theme and as part of the performance for that song, he dances, appearing to simulate sex with willing female participants, who voluntarily come onstage to be a part of this act. Fans of his certainly could have been aware of the act as there were videos of similar performances easily available on the internet and on some television shows.
Several females took the stage at Zen that night to be a part of this ‘wining competition’ where it was stated that the winner would win a trip to Africa. Certainly, Zen played up the idea that Akon is from Senegal by having people in African attire doing African drumming at the entrance of the venue and by starting the show with a similar African theme. It is then not surprising that Akon would be tongue-in-cheek and set himself up as the embodiment of Africa and be the ‘prize’ for a young lady who won the competition. They were quite okay with receiving the attention from the crowd, the media and the artiste that would come with that. No one was forced. Furthermore, anyone who has been to a concert, party or event that features a ‘wining competition’ where girls are invited to wine either for the audience or with the male star, should be well aware of what awaits them – a hyper-sexual performance that glorifies the sexuality of the star and can end up being totally humiliating for the female. In light of this it is hard to really say the girl was totally unaware.
Akon and Danah on stage at Zen
The extent of the racism that has pervaded this discussion internationally cannot go unaddressed. The idea of Africans being sexually potent, virile and uncontrollable is one that is part of a whole set of racist assumptions that have been bandied about for centuries about Africans. Some Africans in the Diaspora have inherited these ideas about continental Africans to the point that there is now a distinction, where continental Africans are seen as more ‘undiluted’, more potent and animalistic. Many on internet forums have commented on this issue in very racist ways about African sexual proclivities as a way to condemn the way he danced with the female. The discussion has taken a turn to sound like a replica of plantation and colonial attitudes where the constant fear by the White male population was the violation of their White women by sexually potent and deviant African males. There is a long history of this ‘fear’ that can be traced throughout history and has certainly been expressed up to this day by East Indian groups and spokespersons in Trinidad who claimed at one time that African men were targeting Indian women for rape. These ideas have influenced the way many people have viewed this incident.
In addition, for many, the light-skinned look of the girl defied their own ideas of ‘the kind of girls that do that’, i.e. blacker, poorer ones, and to see their racist ideas of a black, sex-crazed stud brought to life in their vision of Akon was just too much to take. People are often fine with seeing Black females dancing and doing all sorts of things that they may find lewd and inappropriate, as they find it quite normal for them to do so. They, however, find it shocking that a light-skinned one would dance in ways that they deem lewd and furthermore with an African male. This speaks directly to their own racism and colourism and very little about the act itself or about Akon. It suits them to see the light-skinned young female as innocent and blameless and the African hip-hop singer as guilty and licentious regardless of the truth of the matter. Much of the discussion that has been going on the internet is full of such racist sentiments.
Akon and Danah on stage at Zen
The truth is, the female willingly came to a club, dressed in a way that is typical of older females who are used to the club scene, was allowed in, despite what Zen says are its rigid age checks, and willingly volunteered herself to dance on the stage in a competition for a prize and then with a male artiste. Regardless of whether she could have anticipated the kind of dancing that would have ensued, every step leading up to it was as a result of her own choices. The young lady in question was interviewed by TV6 news last night and in her own words she explained how she got carried away and was embarrassed to see herself afterward as the event was over so quickly that she did not realize that was what had happened or how it would have looked. Nowhere did she blame the artist or say she was abused. Nowhere did she chastise him for the way he danced with her and nowhere did she indicate that she was innocent in the affair. She clearly stated that she went to these clubs against her parent’s advice and that while at the time she did not see any big deal in the dance, when the clips hit the internet and she saw it, she then felt embarrassed and ashamed of the hurt she caused her parents and herself. This seemed to me like an honest recognition by an obviously young teenager, now stripped of her revealing outfit, makeup and fingernails, of an impulsive action that resulted in embarrassment for herself and others only after the fact.
The media, however, does seem to be attempting to distort what was said by the teenager or at the very least carrying contradictory reports. In the Guardian story carried today, the headline reads “I Was Cajoled Into Sexy Dance” which is a direct, deliberate distortion attempting to leave the casual reader with the impression that the teen was cajoled into dancing by the artiste Akon. The article continues:
My parents had no clue I was going to the concert or how I was dressed. I told them I was going with my cousins for ice cream. When I left the house I had on a jacket.
This contradicts what was said in the Newsday article, which states:
Danah said two days before the concert, a friend sponsored her a $450 VIP ticket. She said her parents, who were not present at the interview, knew she was going.
Newsday’s article also states:
Danah, daughter of Pastor Dave Alleyne, of the Flaming Word Ministry in Chaguanas, described her ordeal as shocking and humiliating. She insists she and other girls were deceived into entering a dance competition in which the first place winner would receive a trip to Africa.
While in what seems to be a different attitude, the TV6 interview with the girl herself gives the impression that at the time she did not think it was a big deal but it was only afterward when she saw it that she felt embarrassed.
Now I am sure the girl did feel embarrassed after seeing the video and after some members of the public began condemning her dancing, but it is a bit misleading to give the impression that she did not approve of the dancing while she was doing it. It seems to be a fair assessment that she was carried away in the moment, as she said, and did not think of the consequences. This is quite normal for many young people and many older people and in this case is not even a matter of condemnation and censure.
Akon and Danah on stage at Zen
People who have been commenting on this story have been claiming that the dancing was disgusting, lewd and even abusive to the female. Certainly people can claim to be disgusted by certain behavior; that is their right. People tend to express their disgust for many things; sexual expression is one that certainly raises much commentary. However that really is a matter of personal choice for people to decide what is appropriate for them. People are often quite dishonest and find that many things should be banned, including open truthful discussions about racism, colourism and African history, so it is not really smart to buy too many of their arguments about what is appropriate and what is not. The discussion however, becomes distorted because many comments on this matter have certainly been coming from people who don’t support these kind of expressions anyway: from Carnival to Dancehall Passa Passa to even the bare-breasted dancing of a well-respected South African dance troupe that performed in Trinidad a few years ago. Many people who comment on appropriateness of dancing at these kind of events do not even attend such events, concerts, parties or performances, and like many of those who have commented unfairly on the Akon concert, they have no real legitimate way of judging whether this is normal, whether many females do volunteer to go on stage for these wining competitions or not. They are quite content to blame Akon; an artist who was doing the job that he was paid to do by the nightclub, who should certainly have been aware of his act.
Now, ones could certainly object to what they may see as a particular performance style that is quite common in Hip-hop, Soca, Dancehall as well as some Rock acts and other musical forms; the idea that sex and sexuality must be dealt with in a context of domination, humiliation and the perpetuation of the illusion of dominant über-masculine sexuality. All are participants in that – the males that embrace those attitudes and the females who buy into it and allow themselves to be part of it. This was seen particularly at the end of the dance where Akon ran off and left the young lady on the ground where they had been dancing previously. However up to this point, if ones look at all the pictures from this event, it becomes clear that at the time of the act, the young lady in question did not appear to be distressed or trying to get away. She appeared to be enjoying herself, as did the other females who volunteered to enter this competition. That is their right. Certainly this is an area that can be discussed and reasoned. There are certainly reasons why some may see sexuality in this way and why it is commercially viable for music industry executives to sell this image. However, even in that discussion one has to see that once participants are willing and no one is hurt in these encounters it still remains a matter of taste and personal preference. Once all parties are willing then one cannot talk of anyone being taken advantage of or abused in that context.
Akon and Danah on stage at Zen
One thing that is crystal clear however, is the role of the nightclub, Zen, in the whole affair. It is illegal for nightclubs to admit people under 18 years of age. While Johnny Soong has stated that Zen adheres to a strict age policy where they ask for ID from patrons, the comments of the teenager do not show this at all. In the Express article she says:
“I know a lot of my friends who were my age and were there,” she said.
“They asked for ID in VIP because you have to be 21 years and over to go up in VIP, but anyone was allowed to go in the general admission area.”
In the Guardian article it states:
When they got to the club last week Thursday, she said, they proceeded to the VIP section but were stopped by the bouncers who said they had to be 21 years and over to enter, and asked for their identification cards.
Danah said, “We did not have it so they told us we had to go into general admission and we did.”
While Johnny Soong, owner of the nightclub states that this young lady may have “slipped through the cracks” many who do attend this club and many others can state clearly that many underage females especially are allowed into the nightclub. As a matter of fact, this nightclub in particular seems to be more concerned with admitting, light-skinned and brown-skinned females with a particular look, body shape and dress than about the age of the females. The club has come under fire many times for what some patrons have seen as racist and colour-biased practices in their admission policies. In light of this, it is not hard to see how this female could have been admitted despite the fact that she clearly stated that she did not have ID and was admitted anyway. It is in fact, the same colour bias that many people have displayed in commenting on this issue that led to the underage female being in the club in the first place. I suppose we can wait to see what action, if any, will be taken against the Zen nightclub for clearly breaking the law.
At the end of the day, the discussion of this issue has been riddled with distortions, which have made it difficult for some to see the issues clearly. Akon has been vilified because of his race, black skin and clearly stated Senegalese roots, as a sex-crazed fiend that took advantage of a young girl and cajoled her into committing lewd acts. The girl has been seen as innocent because of her age, her colour and her look that for some may not fit their idea of a ‘dancehall queen’, regardless of her own statements where she admitted her culpability and stated unequivocally that she got carried away and went voluntarily and now sees it as a mistake. In addition, as I previously stated, some commentary has been from the perspective of those who find that she was acting out of character as the daughter of a preacher. Some commentary has also been from the perspective of those who find that any sexual dancing is lewd anyway and should be frowned upon. While the dancing might not have been to the taste of some, that is really their affair and until people deal with their own sexual hang-ups they really cannot effectively judge another’s sexual expression. Issues of racism, colourism and sexuality rear their heads all the time in a variety of discussions because these issues are so fundamental and have remained unreasoned in the public space for too long.
Let us not continue to be hypocrites and see this issue for what it is.
Some images were reproduced from:
http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=akonconcert046km0eo1.jpg
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1566/akonconcert047in0.jpg
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9558/akonconcert048xt8.jpg
http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/8361/akonconcert055kc1.jpg
NEWS UPDATE: May 07, 2007
Police investigators have closed the books on investigations into the Danah Alleyne/Akon raunchy dancing incident at Zen nightclub.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Winston Cooper, the investigations have reached a stalemate as witnesses aren’t coming forward to support the police.
It’s been three weeks since police officers launched an investigation into the lewd dancing incident involving the fifteen year old pastor’s daughter, Danah Alleyne, and the hip-hop singer, Akon at Zen nightclub. A video clip of the act was posted on the internet and this sparked a national debate about such conduct and who is to blame.
UPDATE: June 13, 2007
Akon’s I’m Sorry Song
Akon apologized to his fans, the young girl, and Gwen Stefani today for his involvement in the onstage underage girl-humping incident that rocked across the net earlier this month.
UPDATE: July 12, 2007
Danah Alleyne to accept youth award
Danah Alleyne will accept the Youth Motivator Award and $1,000 in prize money from Choc’late Allen at her “100% Crime Free” Committee Youth Awards Ceremony to be held next Tuesday, despite a public outcry on the decision, even from Alleyne’s own brother, Ian.
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog’s URL for this article:
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog/?p=221
This commentary has got to be the most sensible and intelligent response I have read regarding this fiasco. This little girl knew what to expect at a show like this and, like all Trinis, knew what would happen on that stage. She placed herself in a situation where she would be degraded and humiliated. Interesting that she felt embarrassed after ‘de mark buss’ I hope that we all, especially us women, learn a valuable lesson from this or are we, in typical Trini fashion, going to forget in a couple weeks’ time?
Another attempt.
There are some things missing in this article. Who are the ones who concocted this ‘special report’.
You seem to have convinced christa as seen above. Lets compare this response to the other 99.999 percent on views on this matter. Well you know what you may be right, as that majority might not be able to really understand as you and I.
Pride is very devastating and can cause intellectuals many blunders.
Accept the reality rather than cause unnecessary embarrassment.
I am reading these articles and based on the pictures of this young lady can only assume that this is some one that likes to flaunt her body and loves to party. Why are all these concerns arrising after the fact? They should have really let sleeping dogs lie but instead chose to blame every one other than the fact that this was an intentional act on her part.
Interesting blog. My major concern had nothing to do with whether or not the girl was light or anything. I felt that the “14 year old” should have been at home and not in a club. Shouldn’t have any tattoos and not dress like that and shouldn’t not have been on stage at “14”. I felt it was hypocrital of her “Pastor” dad to say she was taken advantage of when clearly he is not doing any “fathering”. Akon is guilty of over getting on but the girl should not have been on stage as she knew what she would be in for.
Minister Hinds: Akon should be charged
JUNIOR NATIONAL Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds yesterday expressed outrage and “moral indignation” over the conduct of pop-singer Akon at Club Zen nightclub on April 12 calling the Senegalese pop-artiste a “convict” and saying that he should be charged for “lewd dancing” stemming from his role in the incident.
The gov’t has no place in the night club business, Hinds taking nonsense.
We need to grow up. First, learn from this incident and move forward. We all should be blamed.
By answering these questions you would see what I mean.
Who? What? When? Why? Where?
Who? The teenaged daughter of a well known paster.
What? Dressed overly sexy, as an adult.
When? On a school night.
Why? To see a hip hop star perform.
Where? At a popular night club.
We all should be held responsible. Parents need to know the whereabout of their children, especially in crime ridden Trinidad today. The club owner should have better screening techniques to filter out teenagers. Club owners should be fined for allowing minors to enter night clubs. The adults in the club should not have allowed this act to continue, especially since they knew her age and family background. The girl should have known the consequences of her actions, why bring shame to yourself and family. The artiste must be held accountable for his actions. This girl do not look 18 years old to me, he should have known better. So we all are to blame. What do you think?
what kind of double standard is this.Men and women display themselves in lewd acts for carnival season and it is accepted.Why kill two people who knew exactly what they were doing.Maria
Akon did not abuse Danah on stage. This girl put herself in that situtation she lied to her parents, say she was by her cousins for ice cream, now she is trying make it look like she is an angel. She is only 15 year old she has no right in no night club so what ever she is going trough right now she look for that. Nobody did not cajoled her in doing any thing this girl know exactly what she was doing. She know how to beat the system to get in the club, lied to her parents so I have no sympathy for her.
I agree that race is often an issue when it comes to the Zen nightclub and there are certain members of the front house staff at Zen who certainly do discriminate against a fair amount of people, both male and female for the wrong reasons. However race has nothing to do with this incident – this is simply a matter of age and policy and yes, Zen should be charged for letting in youngsters under the age of 18 because this is not the first time and I doubt it will be the last. It doesn’t matter if she looked 18 or not, in response to a comment made above, Akon was there to perform; his business is not whether the people coming up on stage were over 18 or not – it is a nightclub which states 18 is the policy so why should Akon or any other artist have to stop and think that a young girl voluntarily coming up on stage dressed in a certain way would not be that age? In the same way that the audience trusted Akon to perform, any performer would trust the venue to follow through with their claimed policies.
This girl was not abused – she is responsible for her choices, from leaving home to going up on stage, and she could have said no to the lewd acts at any point. She may be young but we are all taught the difference between right and wrong and no one is that stupid not to know when to say no.
From my far away armchair in a place where I’ve given up on clubbing, I want to ask a few questions and make a few comments: Where was her pastor father when she was getting her navel pierced to wear a jewel there? Unless this was done by an aged godmother, a lot of body had to be exposed to a stranger. Who bought her the ornament for her navel? Were her “tatoos” which I did not see in the pictures, printed from a card, or really tatooed, and if the latter, where were her parents when she was getting them?
I agree that you can see worse than that on the streets on carnival day. I have pictures of carnival magazines sent me by others that even depict women wining up on other women, and one man in the rear, appearing to “jam it” to two women, all of whom are lighter skinned than the male performer. The picture logo in the corner of a major daily depicts two such women.
One can watch the performances of any artiste on stage, except if they are displaying Chinese martial arts dancing, and see a profusion of female flesh, in sexually provocative poses. True of Turkish, Azerbaijani, Greek, Hindu and other dances.
I think the pastor and his wife need to sit down with their daughter and ask her one question,”If you had to go this whole route again, from the time you got those expensive tickets to now, what would you change in the light of all that has occurred?” and wait patiently and with love, for her answers. Then they should pray about it together, and move forward. If he is raising this daughter as a single parent, he still has to ask the question.
As part of their healing as a family, I would recommend a purging of her wardrobe of those item of sexually explicit clothing, which are appropriate dress for a “club woman” who does not value her mind above her body, who does not see her body as sacred and untouchable, at this time in her life.
If the daughter is not tractable, will not listen to her parents, or live according to the values they may have tried to instill in her, I would recommend a girls’ boarding school in a Muslim country as a drastic last measure.
Certainly no girl who has been taught to value herself, would act like that in public, knowing that everything today is videotaped. Certainly she did not get tattooed and pierced in the navel, complete with jewels, and that wardrobe, in one fantastic shopping spree. Finally, if the parents did not provide the money for the ticket(I am thinking dark thoughts about misused tithes here) there should be some serious conversations about where a 14-year old gets nearly five hundred dollars for a ticket, plus appropriate wardrobe. There may be a few more shocking revelations for parents and public.
Meantime, those Ministers of Government who are calling for people’s heads need to chill. They need to review some tapes of carnival as carried on TV and printed in magazines, they need to look at “classical dancing” from cultures locally other than carnival, and those dancing on the masthead of trinicenter.com
Logic defeats racism at all times.
Certainly if a half covered breast had totally fallen out, it could not have been designated a “wardrobe malfunction,” but an inherent lack of common sense in a fluffy headed hormone driven teenager.
The value of this as a lesson to other young girls is priceless, especially as it comes in the wake of headlines about teen sex scenes being filmed on cellphones, and the teenage daughter of some parliamentarian being drunk in a nightclub at seventeen.(I think she was better dresed, but that was some time ago)
It may be interesting to check which nightclub owner has ever been fined for letting children drink in his club, or for letting them in at all. Now there is a place for governemnt action!
Some time ago when two pre-teen girls, children really, tried to buy tickets to Tobago by themselves, a responsible adult intervened, and they were not allowed on the boat. The nation ought to DEMAND the same of nightclub owners.
Danah I hope on reflection,this incident will help you to make better decisions in future.
Deception does not pay. Personally looking at your dress code, I would assume you were older.
Remember, artist are being paid to perform. If, you go to a place where there are wolves. As a sheep you will be eaten.
You first responibility is to yourself. No one else will look after you.
Several others will have their opinion, depending from where they are standing.This may be clouded with bias. However,the artist is not totally to blame. Even though you won’t admit it to others. I am sure you will to yourself.
They will be supporting you and speaking ill of the artist.
Saying you were taken advantage off. As you have shown deception to your parents. So having a trip to Africa “Akon” is partly true but deceptive.
Darling we all make mistakes, yours was publised because of the fish you attempted to catch.There is always safety in JESUS. To dad, I know you love you daughter. Please ask the LORD for his guidance. That his hand of performance will be upon all that concerns you. Remember Eli the high priest.
If a child falls, correct them in love. But tell them they were wrong.
I didn’t know colourism was an issue in the West Indies. I like the article, well thought out and argued. And I totally agree
I have heard and read a lot over this issue, even from Minister Hinds.
Although I am not around the club circuit anymore, I have a general idea of the exaggerated behaviours that take place there. What was shown about that girl and Akon is quite common behaviour in the club circuit as people vie for the most attention. Similar behaviours can be witnessed on the dance floors and even on stages with popular Soca artists during the Carnival season.
As the article points out, many people are commenting on this issue with too many hang-ups.
Personally, I have no problem with the conduct of the girl or Akon. People were clearly making choices all along the way and there were alternatives to what they chose to engage. If she now feels her conduct was not in good taste she can behave differently.
I really cannot even make an issue over the age of the girl, as in Trinidad and Tobago, Muslims can get married with their parent’s consent as young as twelve years old.
The Trinidad and Tobago government’s website states “The minimum age for Muslim marriages is 12 years old. The minimum age for Hindu marriages is 16 years old.”
The state clearly does not have a problem with twelve year olds having sex under certain conditions. They cannot sell me that these twelve year olds are some how special because they are Muslims.
Based on that double standard, I really do not have a problem with that fourteen to fifteen year old girl, who seems to be not as naive and innocent as some media are making her out to be, dancing suggestively on stage.
The only issue I feel the law can engage is about the club allowing that young girl in when the law states that people have to be eighteen years and older to enter. So there is an issue about the law, although I disagree with it for many reasons. As far as I am concerned the law does not make sense considering that girl can legally enter a house party that has settings similar to a club.
If we rule out the age of the girl, then there have been other acts at that same club where artists were quite sexually suggestive on stage. Some of those pictures are online. Heavy sexual overtones and actions are part of the whole Dancehall and Rap culture that is regularly shown on television. So it should not surprise anyone that youths are dancing in similar fashions. It is pretty common.
TV6 is pushing this story locally in a manner that portrays the girl as a humble, naive child who was taken advantage of by an adult, and that gives me the impression that their motives may be racially charged and otherwise quite disingenuous.
On television tonight, Minister Hinds spoke about possible ‘lewd dancing’ charges against Akon, but he went on to say that Zen should be more careful in checking the age of patrons. Why is he letting Zen’s owner, Johnny Soong off the hook, but targeting Akon?
What about the fact that simulated sex dancing is quite common, especially around Carnival time? Is Minister Hinds taking issue with Akon because part of his simulated sex performance was in a horizontal position and not the common vertical position? Anyhow, horizontal simulated sex dancing is also a common feature at fetes. So is Minister Hinds going to lay similar charges on thousands of Trinidadians and Tobagonions?
The obvious double standards and hypocrisies lead me to believe that there are too many unaddressed issues that are weighing into how people comment on this issue, as the article pointed out.
A further comment: Since we in cleaning up the act mode; and I note that a certain paper has removed the carnival shot of the two women wining up on each other, the taller one at the back; let’s clean up the masthead of the “Roots woman raw and exposed”etc at this site, that leg-sprawled statue is too revealing,also the pictures of Doolahin night at the top of the triniview page, and make the Express clean up its little pics on the side too.
I hope somebody besides me thinks that this is asinine.
As I said before, the girl and her parent need to have a long talk. They need to talk too, to Minister Hinds, who, if he goes ahead with his proposed charges against the performer, might cause the girl more trouble since the video would have to be produced in court. Now, would the performer have to return to face these charges? At whose cost?
Let us as mature adults recognize one thing. Chidren of today are far more advanced in their sexual thinking and actions, than their parents want them to be, or are aware of their being. And the fourteen year old street child who offers it to a grown-up in exchange for a box of fried chicken, is he going to prosecute her also? And the one who left school is south to run a prostitution business out of people’s cars, what to do with her?
Hormones gone wild is not only a recent problem. Lolita, of the book fame was eleven. So was the girl memorialized in Selwyn Cudjoe’s book (Beyond Boundaries)who was hung by her thumbs from the ceiling by orders of Gov. Picton. She had been accused of steling money from her lover, a Spanish Gentleman, who complained to the authorities in 1803. She was tortured. Nothing happened to him.
It must be the tropical heat.
There are a couple of things that need to be established here. The club is designed exclusively for adult entertainment isn’t it? So everyone in there is presumed to be an adult.
When you hear an announcement on radio or television that goes, “It’s ten o clock in the night, do you know where your children are”, that question is intended for you. If they are not under lock down in your domicile, or somewhere you approve of, then you are accountable for situations like that which occurred at the club.
I believe that the club has some responsibility for screening those they let in. There is a social responsibility or cost attached to obtaining a licence to operate these places. And because it is obvious that under aged kids will be drawn into attempting to enter into domains reserved for adults, scrupolous measures have to be put in place to screen them out. That is about the most we can expect from places like these. We cannot expect them to monitor and police the actions of our percocious and horny spawns.
I don’t blame Akon, I think that if he knew her age he would not have danced with her,he is no R.kelly She didn’t look (14), think the way she was dressed she looked at least (21)thats some bull.with her tats and piercings I look at him diff, now like I didn’t know he had that in him.o.k
As my favorite artiste Shadow says. “If a couda ah woulda”
This 14 year old has a large tatto on her lower back and wearing a napkin how can we blame anyone but her and her upbringing, how could her father pastor a church when he cant even minister his 14 year old daughter.
In response to the usual racist idiocy of attaching a negative image to the sexuality of Africans let’s be real here. NBC and Perverted Justice took their “To Catch A Predator Show” to California and guess what. A disproportionate amount of the adults who arrived at the stakeout house to have sex with an underaged boy or girl were Indian Techs from India. About the only West Indian caught in the net was an Indian Guy with the internet ID “crazytrini88” or something like that. So stop right there.
Africans are kind of overtly expressive with their sexuality yes, but that is because it is not within us to sneak around like hypocrites. There are brothels across Guyana and Trinidad that cater exclusively to an Indian clientele, and with young Indian girls of indeterminate ages. Sexual perversion is not exclusive to any ethnic or racial grouping, nor is any more pronounced in the African gouping as opposed to others. We do our thing in the open, while others, like the hypocrites they are, scurry around in the dark to do theirs. Look to your own damn perversions first before pointing your hypocrital fingers at us.
JJ asked:
“…how could her father pastor a church when
he can’t even minister his 14 year old daughter.”
…and I say:
In time we may discover that he does. 8|
I’ve read almost all of the newspaper reports on the story, this one also and i must say it speaks volume. the girl in look for dat’ cause one simple thing dat everyone needs to understand Akon sings R&B, Hip Hop not gospel; he aint no priest- he’s an entertainer. he entertains, I would not go a 50 cent concert and not expect to hear some form of profanity or even songs about violence. i not puttin my head on no block, but no teenage family of mine could leave home dressed like dat, not even with ah coat on. Paastor it’s called effective parenting- ‘practice what U preach’.
another point ladies if u want men to respect U, respect yourself, cause not one of the girls i’ve dated could ever dress like dat and expect to leave home like dat. some might say it’s sexy, it only shows their level of maturity and where thier minds are.you can still dress conservative and still look stunning and sexy. so don’t blame Akon, cause like all other form of art he is an artist. And some say that aart imitates life. So everyone got what they wanted.
It is quite clear that the pictures say a thousand words, she grabbed and pulled him on her and seem to enjoy every moment of her stage fame. I do not feel that Akon did anything wrong as he was teased and encouraged every step of the way. Her parents have obviously instilled the wrong values in her and should not be supporting and making excuses for her behaviour, no wonder she behaved with such lack of integrity!!!!
After viewing the pictures I am of the opinion that Akon was deceived, molested and taken advantage!!! The nightclub and the girl have failed to be honest and I would like to see something done about that and not just publicity. sHE NOT ONLY MADE HERSELF, HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS ASHAMED SHE HAS MADE HER COUNTRYN ASHAMED!!
I find that Akon should not be accused of his performance at the Zen night club, who should be accused is the owner of the club for for not putting strict rules that an ID should be presented in these kind of concerts and also this little girl who is the daughter of a pastor has a mind of her own, no one told her to go on stage and whether Akon said it was a competition to go to Africa or not she should of known the consiquences before making a total fool of herself and yet again what kind of fourteen year old pastors daughter dresses like that (i am 22 going on 23 an I wouldnt even dress like that)but even though that is besides the point. I love Akon I am also a dying fan of him but as I said before I have a mind of my own and no one can influence me to do something that I dont want to do so all those people who saying that Akon should be sued and that he should apologise for his performance that they are totally bias because that little girl is an ass who wanted attention to say that she danced with Akon. Again I would say to all young and irresponsible girls think before you act and to all Trinidadians get a life if you dont like my views on this issue go to hell because if is one thing we have freedom of speak in this country. Good bye
Not looking at the Morality of it, there are some definite legal implications.
1) The cousin who bought her the tickets, knowing he was going to take her to a club where she is underage.
2) The club was legally responsible for ensuring that there is no underage person on its premises especially at times when alcohol is being served. Doesn’t matter what trickery was used to get in, the club is still responsible.
3) Akon could be charged with lewd behaviour in public and assault. He may get off the lewd behaviour if we use carnival as an example. However, there is defiantly a case for assault. Unlike carnival and our soca artist asking people to dance on stage, they go not physically hold the dancer in position. The dance can stop “wining” and any point in time. Once he grabbed her, physically, he has now prevented her from escaping and she is no longer a volunteer in the situation. There is a line, and Akon crossed it.
N.B. If you have sex with a minor, even consenting sex, you can still be charged with statutory rape. The same applies to serving alcohol.
No, mean no. If a woman say no to sex, no matter what the lead up to it was, she has the option to stop at any time. If you prevent her from leaving then it assault or rape is sex occurs.
Personally I think the full weight of the law should be brought down on this issue. It least with will send a message that this should never happen again. Clubs need to be responsible, and as a society we need to be more responsible and not cheer on Akon behaviour like the spectators did.
Everyone makes mistakes in their lives whether we’re young or old, pastor’s child or not. Life, living it and making mistakes is a learning process. We are all condemning this girl’s behavior but maybe we are missing the bigger picture… how about if it were Ms Denise Belfon on stage with Akon? Most may say she is an adult and an artist and Akon “get ah run for he money” but is it right? Whether it be a young or old woman they should not portray this set of provocative behavior. It can’t be right for the adults or artists and wrong for the young ones when we as the older heads are the ones who are suppose to set the example. They need to have more respect for themselves and to often these young girls get carried away and think that life is running away and now more than ever you’re seeing that some of the mothers and women are doing the same and these are the older heads! It is scary but everyone deserves a second chance. It is very saddening to see this incident but at the same time we have to look at the bigger picture and get down to the real issues at hand. Although Akon cannot be blamed for this because he would not ask a girl that’s on stage what her age is, he would be under the assumption that everyone is 18 yrs and over because it was advertised as an adult show in an adult venue which was club Zen in which case they didn’t ask for I.D cards so she got in. All of these clubs have an age limit of 18 yrs and over but you still see children under 18 there! There are a lot of other pressing issues at hand here, not only the fact that this girl danced lewdly… we need to take care of our children. If they fail, we fail, for their actions we take responsibility!
Why should he blamed for what happen at Zen? If you take a good look at the pictures, danah was dancing freely on Akon her hands were around him most of the time and she look very happy with what she was doing. In the first place she came there by lying so how could it be Akon fault. You know, if it was another female on stage with Akon no one would of said anything it would of passed normal but only because it is a pastor daughter they talking about charge Akon, FOR WHAT? What did he do wrong give a good crowd performance?
Think of it this way. I’f i’m at a club and ask a girl to dance and she says yes. We dance and then some slow music come on so we hold each other and start to dance close with her arms around my neck. Sound ok consecnting adults.
Now I suddenly gab her, lift her off the ground and put her on my pelvis an start to dry hump. Before she could say anthing I toss her to the ground and do the same. Then again before she could say anything pick her up and cross the floor and hump her on the spaker box. She keep her arms around my neck cause if she let go she will fall backward and hit her head on the floor considering the violent thusting motions. She is holding on for dear live.
Is that OK? The girl was concenting all the way to that point. If I have not broken any laws then you have given every man the right to do this in public without any fear of legal action no matter what age or even sex of the person.
I think if any charges should be layed the pearents are the first and then the club owners because acon did not come to peform for children he came to an adult club and girls were invited to enter a competation when he called girls on stage he is not expecting an under age young lady to be at that club so he or any other peformer is not going to ask for id so in some sort of way he was sit up by the whole scene and i think he should sew the owners of club zen because they brought this upon him and his name is being slandered all over the world and because of this he could be stoped from peforming at certain gigs what a way to take bread from someones mouth