BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - IN light of the ongoing gun violence occurring on the streets of St. Kitts and Nevis, one young man in using his voice as an instrument of change.
Javier Hutton, 26, has penned a song called ‘Dem Never’, as an inspirational tool for youths in St. Kitts and Nevis to wake up and see what is going on around them.
The young man, who has been singing for over five years, indicated to SKNVibes that parents in the Federation are not taking responsibility for the direction in which their children are going.
He opined that the system under which the nation’s youth are being grown has failed them holistically.
“The video is basically about the system that we are living under. They are not teaching youths in the proper way. They are teaching youths today to do everything in the fast lane and tt is causing them, especially those in the ghetto, to go and steal.”
The song and video took approximately three weeks to produce, Hutton noted, pointing out that the central message he is looking to resonate among the youths in St. Kitts and Nevis is that guns do not solve anything.
“When you look at all the shootings that are going on right now in St. Kitts and Nevis, a lot of the poor people, and the country as a whole, are feeling this thing,” Hutton said. “Innocent people are being robbed and killed...so my song and video is a message for the youths to change the directions that they are heading.”
In recent years, the Federation has been the center of attention in the region as it has been ranked the murder capital of the world per capita, despite larger countries such as Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago having higher homicide rates.
Many have argued that this could have an adverse effect on tourism, the Federation’s main economic driver. Just recently reports indicated that two tourists were robbed of their belongings, including cash, passports and identification cards.
This morning (Nov. 15), St. Kitts and Nevis recorded yet another homicide which brought to 29, the number of persons killed for the calendar year 2016.
Asked what he believes could be done to curb the ongoing gun violence, the youngster suggested that more community outreach programmes should be held to engage young people in the country, so that, they could express their concerns, expectations and needs to those in authority.
“You need to go and find out what the youths want to become in life. Some of them want to become athletes, some of them want to become DJs or teachers, but they do not have the support and or the backing of persons to motivate them to get to that top level.”
Hutton stressed that many of them are crying out that they are poor or they are not provided opportunities. He however pointed out that if their dreams are not fulfilled then they would turn to other avenues in order to survive.
He echoed that sentiments of many other concerned citizens that the current problem is one that stems from the home, “Because many parents are incapable of teaching and nurturing their children in the proper way due to the lack of education.”
