BY ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net 

Foreign artists are taking the bread out of Bahamian artists’ mouths, according to the United Artists Bahamas Union (UABU).

With the primary objective of protecting Bahamian musicians and entertainers and their welfare, the UABU released a public message addressed to the Department of Immigration and the Department of Labour, stating that they have not and will not “give a letter of support for any foreign artist competing with our Bahamian artists at homecomings, regattas, independence celebrations, [or] junkanoo parade”.

“We understand that there are a number of events taking place on the Family Islands with foreign artists,” UABU Secretary General Linc Scavella said. “That is not a good thing for our Bahamian artists, because soon they will occupy our good job opportunities. And I think one of the artists I heard that was being advertised is the same Vybz Kartel.

“I understand he’s one of the artists that’s supposed to be in Andros for the 21st for that weekend, Crab Fest weekend. And that’s not good. The government should not allow that, because that is the thing that the Family Islanders look forward to - seeing the local Bahamian artists. In many cases, that’s their only source of income, doing these Family Island regattas and homecomings.

“These are the opportunities our Bahamian artists look forward to, because the hotels are not hiring them, and so the only income they get is from these, regattas and homecomings.”

Mr Scavella believes foreign artists should be banned from performing at Bahamian cultural events, adding that the union has told the Department of Immigration that they would not support any foreign artist coming to the country during the month of July when Independence celebrations are ongoing.  

“If we having our Independence celebration, we’re not going to support any foreign artists coming into town during that month, because we want that whole month of July to be focused on our Bahamian culture,” Mr Scavella said. “And so we’re not going to support and we already told immigration that.

“The [immigration] director… you know how they say ‘that’s above my pay grade’. But I don’t agree with that, with that ‘above pay grade thing’. If you have a responsibility, there’s no pay grade that can ban you from doing your job. So that’s what they normally say. So in other words, you are saying the minister has to make that call. But that is a no-brainer. 

“I was just advised that Trinidad had a situation similar, and they just cut that out. So I’ll have to go and look at the story. Somebody just informed me that Trinidad had that same issue, and the government took a stand against it.”

Mr Scavella said the foreign artists who have been approved to perform at upcoming cultural events, received the green light from their rival and legacy union the Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union (BMEU).

“They’re going to the BMEU because they don’t have to come through the requirements that we have,” Mr Scavella said. “We have stiff rules and regulations, and they don’t like that, so they will go to them where the slackness is. That’s how come they’re getting away. And then, in some cases, the government, neither the union, knows what is going on on the Family Island.”

The UABU has recently revealed that they are pushing for a rotating system in which foreign artists seeking approval to perform in The Bahamas be directed to either the UABU or the BMEU based on an organised system to ensure equality and fairness among the unions.

“So immigration will be in control of that,” Mr Scavella said. “So they will say, ‘Okay, the last artist came in, came into BMEU. So this one will go to UABU. So sometimes we may get one that just maybe collect $75 and they may get one that gets $75,000, but it goes both ways. The other time it will come back to them in that way. The Minister of Labour, she thought that was not difficult to accomplish. She said she and her director will assist in getting immigration to look at that.”

The union has also been hoping for an advisory board made up of members from each union. However, Mr Scavella said he is informed by the Director of Labour, Mr Howard Thompson that the BMEU is disinterested.

“There is no progress there,” Mr Scavella added. “As a matter of fact, the director of labour advised me that he tried to get that meeting, and they told him, no they don’t want to meet with us. And so we move on from that. We say to them, the director of labour and to the minister, as well as the minister of immigration, set the policy and invite them to the meeting. If they don’t come, that’s their business.

“They should make the policy as to what it will be and invite the two unions to the meeting about their policy, and whoever don’t show up, then they make the decision without them.”