Belmopan Divided Over Nailah Blackman’s ‘Rude Boy’ Billboard

A visiting Soca star has left Belize, but the debate she sparked is only heating up. Weeks after Nailah Blackman’s performance, a billboard featuring the Trinidadian singer is still drawing strong reactions in Belmopan. At a recent public meeting, some residents pushed back, calling the imagery inappropriate for a major intersection in the capital. The controversy has reignited a wider conversation about community standards and self-expression, but Mayor Pablo Cawich says the concern may be overblown.

 

Pablo Cawich, Mayor, Belmopan City

“It is a regular advertisement sign like any other sign. As I mentioned to the pastors, if there is an issue with the content, I am prepared to join forces with them to fight the content and to legislate content. But I see no benefit in limiting how anybody advertises, especially if in my view and from checking with other people, you have a split in perspective. Some people find it offensive, others don’t. You have other signs from other brands that utilize the same type of advertising mechanisms or marketing mechanisms.  We as a city cannot try to put any type of restriction on marketing if it reaches a level where nudity or something like that would be involved and that’s a completely different case.”

 

Shane Williams

“But if that was the case, would there be anything the council could do about it?”

 

Pablo Cawich

“I believe nudity is a real problem if it were at that level. But in this case, that’s not the case.”

 

There is a similar sign at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Pine Street in Belize City but no petition or objection has been raised. 

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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