By Lisa Hamilton

DISC Jockeys (DJ) from across Guyana were reminded of the various roles they can play in the reduction of gender-based violence during an engagement with the Ministry of Social Protection (MoSP) at the Marriott Hotel on Friday.

The event came about as the MoSP in collaboration with the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Policy Unit, observes 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence which commenced November 25.
The youthful representation of DJs were encouraged to be advocates of change by educating their listeners, promoting positive vibes and adopting a zero-tolerance attitude towards violence meted out to any gender.

Speaking at the engagement, Communication Specialist at the MoSP, Tiffany Vasequz, said that DJs, who should be recognised as professionals in their occupation, are the gatekeepers of music and culture. Apart from simply providing entertainment, Vasequz highlighted that DJs have become marketers of trends and brands as they evolve to serve in roles both artistic and technical. She gave a brief overview of the history of disc jockeying and its influence on society, while reminding the attendees to effect change in the music they choose to play at events and on air.

Helping the DJs understand the effects their music can have on society was Pastor and Lecturer in Marketing and Business, Jomo Meertins.
Meertins said that the role of a society is impacted by its music and DJs needed to let their music be more than entertainment, but rather to have it tell strong, positive messages. And, what better a message than that of the pervasiveness of sexual and domestic violence in Guyana? The event stirred up a level of awareness among the DJs who were willing to give feedback on what they had learnt.

One of the men who goes by the name of DJ Slaughter, was thankful that the MoSP took the initiative to host the programme with a number of well-recognised DJs. “It’s something very, very common which is going on in everyday life and we as DJs, we are role models…because in the dancehall and out of the dancehall, people look up to us,” the DJ observed, “Even though some people may think that DJs are less of a person, but we as DJs think that we are ‘superheroes’ as the presenter said. “So I actually walked away with somethings that I’ve never known, but the most important thing is to spread a no-violence message.”

Sharing similar feelings was Quacy Coates, aka DJ Avalanche, who said that he believes that those who came out to the the event were reminded of their roles as role models of society. “Some of the stuff that was said today was really positive and I think that a lot of the DJs here today will take away this and try to give a positive impression to the public,” the DJ began, ”Like one of the speakers said, we are a face out there and many people look up to us.”