Pepsi Appalled by Beenie Man Concert, Pledges Tighter Control Over Event Sponsorship
PepsiCo, which came under fire over the past 24 hours for having their brand associated with a concert by an anti-gay performer in Uganda, has issued a statement condemning the use of homophobic lyrics, and pledging that the company will maintain tighter control over events sponsorship.
The issue surrounded a concert in Uganda where Beenie Man, a Jamaican singer, performed his song Mi Nah Wallah, with a line that calls for LGBT people to have their throats slit. Beenie Man has drawn considerable ire from human rights activists for years for singing songs that call for LGBT people to be executed, and for lesbians to be hung with rope.
The concert in Uganda comes at a particularly political and dangerous time for many LGBT people in the country. Uganda is currently debating a bill in parliament, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which would institute the death penalty for many members of Uganda's LGBT population, and throw many others in jail with lengthy prison terms. Moreover, the bill would criminally prosecute straight allies of LGBT people, or anyone who speaks favorably of LGBT rights.
Pepsi, which received more than 400 emails from change.org members asking them to issue a statement on this concert, denounced the lyrics of Beenie Man, and said that the company would not tolerate this kind of violent homophobia.
"We are appalled by the performer’s lyrics and find them repugnant. Our bottling partner in Uganda was not aware of the performer's views and never would have sponsored the concert with this knowledge," Pepsi said in a statement emailed to change.org. "Moving forward, we will work closely with our bottling partners to be more vigilant about the events associated with our brands."
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance for Defamation (GLAAD) also spoke with Pepsi about this concert, and urged mainstream media and big-time corporations to pay attention to what's happening in Uganda right now.
"GLAAD urges mainstream media to shine a light on the horrific anti-gay legislation that is currently pending in Uganda and expose the potentially lethal injustices that gay and lesbian Ugandans could face simply by being who they are," the organization wrote.
One mainstream outlet that has done a fantastic job at exposing Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill is the Rachel Maddow show, which last week continued to draw attention to this bill, as well as to ties between Ugandan advocates of this bill and prominent U.S. evangelicals including Rick Warren.
It's tragic that this concert happened at the height of homophobic hysteria in Uganda. Beenie Man's comments from the stage about slitting the throats of LGBT people certainly can't help.
But kudos to Pepsi for acting fast to clarify that while their name may have been used in tandem with this event, the sentiment behind Beenie Man's lyrics aren't shared by the company. Better yet, having Pepsi's pledge that they'll be extra cautious about the type of events the brand is associated with bodes well in making sure that the next Beenie Man concert isn't brought to you by one of the world's leading soft drink providers.
Michael Jones
is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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