Saturday, August 4 2007

THE EDITOR: Senegal-born singer, Akon must be thanking his lucky stars for the opportunity presented from his sexually explicit dance with local minor Danah Alleyne at the Zen club in Port- of-Spain.

I refer to the success of his song, “Sorry, Blame It On me, which he offered as an apology for his performance. Some apology — the lyrics assert his innocence and blame Danah’s parents for shabby parenting. But the blame and aspersion charges have been read making way for a new chapter I call, The Formidable Power of Global Influence in the virtual book of Danah’s Night Out.

Reports indicate that Sorry, Blame It On Me is poised to top significant song charts across the globe and in essence may propel Akon to super stardom and Zen to greater fame. Indeed, Zen’s stakeholders must also delight in the serendipity spurned from Danah’s night out while Danah herself was awarded by misguided child activist, Choc’late.

Ironically, the incident at Zen was condemned with vehemence — spurning a myriad of moralistic debates and child rearing dos and don’ts. Yet the three parties involved are enjoying various degrees of rewards with Akon shining brightest, despite losing Verizon’s sponsorship. So while our little third world island teaches its children right from wrong the world at large puts a wrongdoer on a pedestal — topping the charts.

Still, we must not give up the fight to nurture our children into model citizens — ones who can think for themselves in recognising a bad influence and resisting it. Remember, the world is full of little Danahs who will inevitably have their night out, and so, the saga continues.



DEXTER RIGSBY

Mt Lambert