UPDATE: Pepsi responds to news that they sponsored a Beenie Man concert in Uganda:
“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. Moving
forward, we will work closely with our bottling partners to be more
vigilant about the events associated with our brands.” (365gay.com)
EARLIER: Pepsi recently sponsored a concert by Beenie Man in Uganda, as the country is set to pass a vile anti-gay bill which includes a death penalty for those convicted of “aggravated homosexuality.”
From Uganda’s Daily Monitor:
The King of Dancehall [Beenie Man] stuck a sword of words into gay people through singing and talking. “In my family, we don’t have any gay person but if you’re gay, my
brother that’s not my fault,” he said as he performed his song Mi Nah
Wallah, in which he says he would like to cut the throats of all gay men.…
The show was sponsored by Pepsi and it doubled as the Crown Beverages’
Chamuka Keys Finale with three RAV4 winners presented on stage to join
17 previous winners in receiving their car log books.
Reuters recently reported that Uganda’s anti-gay bill is still in the committee stage, but it’s expected to pass with little opposition and only minor changes.
Also, check out Rachel Maddow’s recent segment on the Ugandan bill:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Read more on Xtra.ca:
- Bumping into Beenie Man
- Tories slam Uganda’s anti-gay bill, but will they act?
- Religious forces behind Uganda’s anti-gay bill