By Suelika N. Buchanan
Editor-SKNVibes.com
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| Fitzroy Robinson a.k.a. De provoker says that he wants to be a great Calypsonian in St. Kitts and is aiming for the Green Valley crown. He has been participating in the festival for tens years. | (Basseterre; St. Kitts): A "ten dollar top-up" and a "five dollar" Chinese Food is just some of the examples Calypsonian De Provoker is singing about in his latest tune "Haul and Pull Me".
In his tune he released for the 2007 Green Valley Crown, Fitzroy Robinson a.k.a. De Provoker says that there are some women and even young girls who men can have sexual relations with for as little as a ten dollar top-up and a five dollar Chinese food.
The calypsonian said that he is singing from experience and what he sees happening in St. Kitts.
"I see it with school girls and big women that tell some men to top-up their phones with ten dollars and everything will be alright later," he said.
The calypsonian is popularly known as the "Saucepan man" specifically for his Carnival 2006/07 popular hit "Saucepan". He said that his recent song is somewhat of a witty calypso but also brings across a strong concern.
"Young girls and women ain't suppose to be behaving so," he said. "Some women and some young girls they don't work anywhere but they have three and four cell phones - how do they get to support them?"
De Provoker said that he is just highlighting this issue in his song because he sees it as a growing problem.
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| Smiley of Grand Masters serves as the manager of "De Provoker". |
"It doesn't portray anything good; a woman is my mother and if a girl can stoop so low...I mean what about your self esteem?" Provoker asked. "I think with this song hopefully they will see how terrible it is and will stop."
The calypso tune has a sweet melody to it and is beginning to cause quite a stir in St. Kitts.
SKNVibes.com conducted a survey recently asking random people including parents, high school and college students and other persons throughout the streets of Basseterre, St. Kitts whether they think there is any truth to the song.
During our findings we met up on two high school girls, one with a RAZR and the other a PEBL.
"My father bought this phone for me," she said defensively. "My father or my friends put money on my phone; I wouldn't stoop low for ten dollars that's just wrong."
The other girl with the RAZR said that her older sister bought her the phone.
~~Adz:Left~~ "My family is the ones who give me top-up for my phone," she said. "I am aware that girls at my school get guys to top-up their phones but not me."
There were some students who said that they can relate to the song as they see the situation occurring at their school.
"Sometimes you see some girls with a ghetto RAZR one week and then the next week they have a PEBL; I really do wonder where they does get the money from to buy it," said a young man who attends college. "I wouldn't encourage that; I want them to like me for me and not what I can give them."
"A lot of them wanna be in style," said a 19-year-old college girl. "It's happening on a wide scale; a lot of them drop out of school and they are not working, and that's what they're doing."
A 14-year-old female student called the act degrading and disrespect for themselves.
"But they don't care," she said. "There are some parents who even encourage such behavior, and encourage their children to have boyfriends because of what they can get - I've seen it happen."
A 23-year-old female teacher wants to know whatever happened to morals and values.
"Who will degrade themselves like that? Whatever happened to our morals and values? That's what their parents need to be teaching them," she said.
Provoker said that while these women were belittling themselves, the men are also responsible for encouraging that behavior.
"In these days there is AIDS that's the most serious thing about it; at times when you use the condom it can buss. If you're having multiple partners all the time what do you think can happen?"
Provoker's manager "Smiley" and also lead vocalist of the Grand Masters Band said that everything starts at home.
"I think the major role comes from the parent - it should start from home, then the public in general. If I have a daughter and I didn't buy her a cell phone, and you're not concern about where she got it from and how she get money to top it up, then you have a problem," he said. "Also if it's a top-of-the-line cell phone which means it had to come from somewhere, then the parent's role is now to find out where it came from and deal with it and monitor their children closely."
A Probation Officer said that the young girls who are involved in such acts have mothers who also do the same thing.
"We have these young women doing these things who have no intention of working; if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything and that's what is happening now," he said.
I want women to take pride in themselves," Provoker said. "It is showing a bad light on our women in society." |
