Barbados: Say no to Passa Passa

“Passa passa” events, which are also causing a stir in Grenada, have arrived in Barbados as well, according to Barbados Free Press, who notes that the story has also been picked up by Russian news service Pravda. “We must congratulate the Royal Barbados Police Force for moving against this bit of Jamaican “culture” that is so at odds with acceptable Bajan behaviour and cultural celebrations,” says Barbados Free Press. “Anyone who has seen one of these fetes up close knows of the violence, illegal drugs, gang sex and general mahem associated with ‘Passa Passa’.”

5 comments

  • Cardi

    All of these people do not know what they are talking about. “violence, illegal drugs, gang sex and general mahem” is not what “Passa Passa’ is. Passa Passa is a street event when everyone can come together and enjoy themselves. All of the above mentioned actives happen at all sort of events all over the world. Therefore it is not fair to say that ‘Passa Passa’ is associated with those things.

  • Ricardo Jones

    Dear Miss Georgia popplewell.I’m a jamaican who has been to passa passa several times and also own several of the dvd’s that capture the event.I have never witnessed nor have there ever been reports of any violence or crime at any time during the staging of the event, despite it being kept in a notoriously dangerous section of kingston.It has been a major means of expression,entertainment and employment for many people of kingston’s inner cities.It has been attended by many dignitaries and “well-to-do” of the society including many government officials(check the net for pics if you don’t believe me).Passa passa does involve some explicit and provacative dancing,but that has been a a part of jamaican dancehall culture for as long as I can remember.However,your reports of gang sex is definitely untrue and unfounded and very reckless reporting.As a matter of fact jamaicans generally look down on rapists and persons who participate in this type of activity which they call battery(the same thing you call gang sex) in the same light as they view homosexulity, and everybody knows how we view that!
    On the matter of illegal drugs,marijuana is widely used in Jamaica and parties are no exception. However,no other drug is used at passa passa. I’m in no way trying to say marijuana use is legal or even trying to justify its use but it is used in every other country in the caribbean including Barbados (which I’ve personally witnessed).That makes passa passa no worse than say carnival in trinidad or barbados(which incidentally is more sexually explicit than passa passa) so your berating of passa passa has absolutely no basis.I think if barbados does not want to have a passa passa thats their business but us wanting to have one is none of yours,and if you are going to do a report on it then it should be based on facts and not wild opinion!!

  • Ricardo,

    If you read carefully you will note that the opinion on passa passa expressed in the article is taken from the Barbados Free Press blog – it is not my own. It may be useful as well, therefore, to visit the Barbados Free Press web site and leave a comment expressing your views. You can find the relevant post here – http://barbadosfreepress.wordpress.com/2006/04/15/more-caricom-cultural-conflict-barbados-police-move-to-ban-jamaican-passa-passa-fetes/.

  • global mind

    yeah but in my country dominica it was all about dirty dancing and prostitution

  • It’s amazing what people say about things that they’ve never experienced. The only thing wrong with Passa Passa, in my opinion, is that it goes until daylight and holds up traffic in the mornings. Gang sex, violence and mahem are just figments of the authors imagination.

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