7 News Belize

The "Gyaliss" Phenomenon In Jamaican Dancehall Music
posted (February 3, 2012)
If you're older than 30, you probably don't know what the Jamaican word "gyaliss" means. It's a Jamaican dancehall term used to refer to men who have lots of ladies - or plainly put, a womanizer. And so you're probably saying, how does that fit into tonight's news, right? Well, it does because our former colleague from KREM TV Kalilah Enriquez, who now lives and works in Jamaica, has produced a compelling documentary called "Man a Gyaliss."

It examines the potent stew of sexuality, machismo and homophobia in the male dominated reggae dancehall music scene. She spoke to artists such as Vybz Cartel, Mr. Vegas and Beenie man as well as experts on dancehall music. It's relevant to Belize in so many ways because that music also runs dancehalls in this country, but it's particularly topical right now because homophobia is hot button issue with the UNIBAM case in court.

In the documentary - which we'll excerpt tonight - Kalilah discovered how dancehall music has veered away from outright threats of violence against homosexuals to more subtle, but equally hostile references:...

Untitled from 7News Belize on Vimeo.

You can see the full documentary tonight at 8:00 on Channel 7. It premiered last night on CVM TV in Jamaica.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize