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[audio:zendanah240407.mp3]By Heru
From: Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
April 24, 2007
When this issue first surfaced on the internet and local radio talk shows, before Trinicenter’s article “Akon Did Not Abuse Girl At Zen“, many people were making very racist comments against Akon. Over time, following the exposure of the racism, more photos and other information surrounding this incident, many have shifted blame to club Zen for breaching the law with regards to minors in such places. Many more have shifted the blame to Danah and are being extreme in their condemnations.
Another view of the Danah and Akon performance
If people are going on about the age of the girl, then fine. There is a law addressing minors in clubs that was breached there. But if you remove the age of the girl from the equation, then Minister Hinds and several other people have expanded on what “lewd dancing” is as an illegal act.
Some people on talk shows are attaching this issue to the controversy over the ‘Manzanilla Beach After Carnival Cool Down’ which involved ladies actually showing their private parts on stage and not just dancing raunchy. As I stated yesterday, if we are going down the road of charging people for raunchy dancing outside of stripping for cash (although I disagree with the law there) then the government is definitely talking about regulating regular dancing at Carnival time.
The obvious hypocrisies over this issue have been exposed. There are acts with males standing on their heads on stage and females gyrating on them; there are acts with women with their hands on the ground and butts in the air and some guys gyrating on them. There are people who regularly go on the ground and gyrate on each other at Carnival fetes.
I have even seen these behaviours in the local Country Club among many other ‘prestigious’ places. Generally speaking, when these incidents are reported in the papers, church people make noise and there is much talk about it, but the law generally seems to be clear on what they consider illegal.
If people are just being shown that one small clip aired by TV6 of the girl and Akon at Zen, it does not convey what transpired before and after that one clip. It paints a distorted picture. Before that clip, there is the girl among others wining, ‘Dutty Wining’ etc. on their own for the audience. Then there are images of the girl pulling the artist closer to her several times, actually holding his belt at one time and pulling him in.
‘Hot Wuking’ in Trinidad
This is all common in club shows and even Carnival fetes and nothing is wrong with that in my view, except if one is deliberately breaking the law with a minor. I will add in this particular show at Zen, there was no evidence that the star or others were paying the girl to strip or participate unwillingly in the dance. The girl herself said she just got carried away. So this incident cannot be equated with the stripping incident at Manzanilla Beach.
Also, I feel people are making too much of the girl’s performance as if the girl did something so wrong and is in need of salvation as a result of that dance performance. The behaviour of that girl is typical of teens that have the resources to indulge. Many buy into the “Girls Gone Wild” type of conduct.
If the girl felt that how people are reacting to her performance is fair and she would reconsider her actions in the future, then fine. But some of the comments actually speak about the repressed sexuality of the commentators. They make a big deal at the sight of people gyrating as if there is something wrong with that.
This country was Christianized and certain immature acts, curious behaviours and even harmless normal behaviours have been criminalized as a result.
There also seems to be some special relationship between this government and Zen’s owner, Johnny Soong. Not that something is wrong with that per se, but there seems to be an effort to play down the only aspect of that incident that was a clear breach of the law – the age of the girl in the club.
Mr. Hinds accused Akon of possibly committing, “…a criminal offence of lewd dancing in public”, which is spurious at best, but called on Zen to more or less do better age checks in the future.
Now the Prime Minister, Patrick Manning, got involved and is calling on the public to forgive the actions of teenager Danah Alleyne. He also said: “I have taken very careful notice of this matter and the owner of Zen owes it to the public to take responsibility. I will be interfacing with Zen because that kind of thing should never be allowed to happen in this country.” His statement about interfacing with Zen is even stranger. Why is he going to meet with the owner of Zen? I did not know that Zen was such an essential service that when they are clearly in breach of the law, the Prime Minister has to talk to them about possibly bucking up. This new aspect has added a strange dimension to this debate.
NEWS UPDATE: May 07, 2007
Police investigators have closed the books on investigations into the Danah Alleyne/Akon raunchy dancing incident at Zen nightclub.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Winston Cooper, the investigations have reached a stalemate as witnesses aren’t coming forward to support the police.
It’s been three weeks since police officers launched an investigation into the lewd dancing incident involving the fifteen year old pastor’s daughter, Danah Alleyne, and the hip-hop singer, Akon at Zen nightclub. A video clip of the act was posted on the internet and this sparked a national debate about such conduct and who is to blame.
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog’s URL for this article:
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog/?p=222
If that was my daughter she would OF been getting licks from ZEN to THEN
Hi Heru,
First of all i agree with your point that tnt may, may be hypocrital when it comes to culture, I remember watching a play when it was interupted by police due to the supposedly foul language where the actor and producer were arrested WHEN cinemas were showing movies laden to the hilt with again supposedly obscene language, personally none of the language bothered me however there are still some victorian thinkers out there that would swoon and faint if they hear ****.however
The points about Danah are:
1. Lying to her parents( supposedly) about her wherabouts( “i’m having ice cream”), fair enough, i can literally write a book about lying to parents when i was teenager.
2. Entering a club for ADULTS ONLY at the age of 14.
3. Upon entering the club understandably would dance , due to STUPID
seurity procedures of THE CLUB.
4. Being 14 and deciding to then highten her profile by dancing on
a stage in front of cameras,(gosh this girl is bursting with intelligence.
5. Get caught doing ..not exactly the near godlike activity her
parents were expecting her to do.
6. Getting caught then protraying an innocent figure(AFTER BEING
CAUGHT)
CLUB ZEN:
Just how stupid are the security procedures, is beyond belief , this whole affair says it all and therefore no more words are needed, except that i remember when some parents were hauled before the courts due to child neglect when their chldren were found in a bar, the bar got away unscathed ….hmmmmm funny that
The dad and brother:
How can it escape Pastor “Flaming word” and “Big brother” that all this time Danah was two timing them?, fair enough again , it perfectly normal to be a teenager , to try new things and learn from mistakes , THIS IS LIFE, but certainly it is their DUTY to look out for her, so when this whole thing erupts like pandoras box (o boy some “christian” will ignore everything else and focus on that)it was most suprising that their focus was on everybody else including AKON ( next point be patient), true we have all sinned (especially me) but being this is and their reputation i guess their more concerned about their career pathes, pity.
AKON:
OK, being a visiting performer i problably would expect all members of the audience to be over 18, but with other rap stars like R kelly ( remember him?) in this day and age i would be concerned, then lying about an African trip to get the audience to performe for free advertising on youtube.com,the reason why i do not listen to rap any more is due to gratuitous labeling of women as sex symbols far from 80’s rap/ hip hop i remember and the ‘bling culture’ which does not do the last generation justice who works hard for living only to see idiots like Akon , ‘fiddy cent’ etc destroy this honest concept ( bea in mind i’m only 33)
I am happy that this debate as arisen , i would hope that the focus would now be drawn from Danah and Akon to the club , in a previous blog i stated that first to blame is the club, they have demonstrated their inablity to control underage patrons may be by turning a ‘blind eye’, perhaps it’s time as a society to proect our minors, can anyone tell me how a minor can gain acess to a rum shop, bar , night club???. and please don’t tell me the “she looked 18” argument beacuse honestly in the day of ID i jusy don’t buy it especially where Club Zen is about profits.
P.s Is it funny that you tube has managed to get the video withdrawn?
Akon is not to be blamed in this matter. Danah is 14 years old, what is she doing in a club which only allow persons over the age of 18, as a first time performer in Trinidad, Akon expects all persons in the club to be 18 and over. Danah wore clothes that were very revealing therefore she portrayed herself as an older woman…if you don’t look your age I don’t think Akon can just look at you and know that you’re 14!! C’mon Trinidad & Tobago..pastors here are against Elton John coming to Tobago for the Jazz Festival..but look at what their daughters are doing!!! AKON IS NOT TO BE BLAMED..HE DOESN”T SELL ICE-CREAM.
To Big J
I generally agree with you; however, I will highlight where we differ.
I am not clear about what her father knew. In one report it says she lied about going for ice cream, and in another it says her parents knew where she was going as was pointed out in the previous article “Akon Did Not Abuse Girl At Zen”. Entering the club illegally is delinquent, and I dear add that the club had no problem with her age once she looked a particular way. Danah said she has been there before. I believe club Zen was not strict with the age rule. They have their preferred type and they accommodate them.
Danah’s innocence was concocted by the media, her father and her brother. The media presented the story as if she was abused and a victim of Akon’s aggression. TV6 was primarily showing parts of that one famous video clip that distorts the whole affair. Her father also initially tried to paint his daughter as this ‘innocent’ child who just made a bad choice and Akon was the villain. Later on when other pictures surfaced that showed her before and after that video clip, and showed her as a willing participant in the whole affair and being rather proud of herself after, TV6 and many commentators were caught off-guard.
However, when Danah spoke on television during an interview, she was quite different. She seemed a little stunned by the reaction of the public but she said she was sorry and just got caught up in the moment. She said that she saw how it looked after the comments people were making and she saw the video. She did not blame Akon for anything. I got the impression that she was only sorry because of how many were reacting to what they saw and not because she saw anything drastically wrong with her conduct. She also could have been coerced into apologizing by her family.
So far, I feel she is torn as a result of the negative commentaries about her conduct and the criticisms being levied on her father who is a preacher.
I don’t think too much of the pastor and the brother as they are just trying to do damage control and are doing a rather poor job of it. We have not heard from Danah’s mother so it could be that she has been making adult decisions for a while without too much supervision if the father is busy (I am not judging that in a negative way as I know many single parents who do an okay job).
I do not see the need to mention R. Kelly here which can give the impression that because R. Kelly allegedly played around with young girls that means Akon and other Rap stars may be prone to the same. I see no reason to go that way.
This thing about the African trip ‘con’ was again played up in the Trinidad Express (one of the media that portrayed Danah as a victim and are now trying to spin). Even if the girls felt fooled, that is not a major part of the debate. Zen had the entrance to the club with an African setting for that concert, with drummers and all. They played the show as if Akon was some African prince (they did not say so). I am saying so based on how they sold the African theme.
If anyone said they were conned by Akon, I would allow that, but I did not hear any of the dancers, including Danah, complain of feeling conned (if you did, you can correct me here).
I am not into much Rap music as I too do not appreciate much of the language and styles that accompany it, but I do understand the work it will take for Africans who are so inclined to learn to have more respect for themselves in a society that they feel do not think much of them.
I still think many are excessive in their condemnation of Danah.
I was most amazed and disgusted to hear about this incident all the way in Scotland! But anyways to my point…
First and foremost Club Zen and its owner needs to be penalized for allowing a minor/child onto its premises. For far too long now club Zen has been continuing the foolish racism and elitism mentality in this country. I have seen men black stopped at the door and ID while females are allowed in without being carded. Personally I dont think that that only happens in Zen. I once heard from another underage girl that her older sister used to get her into Base some years ago. Hence the whole issue of minors in clubs is not something new. Apparently it has become part of our culture. Furthermore the opposite also occurs. At events for teens and pre-teens, BIG HARD BACK men and women enter these events. I remember a year when a fracas broke out at the coca cola school soca concert at Centre of Excellence. When the police were called in they apprehended grown @ss men who were dressed in school uniforms! Also every year more and more ADULTS go to the youthfest concert! Hence, this Akon incident is just another example of people not going to events for their appropriate age group and security not doing thorough ID checks.
Secondly, Danah/Deena CANNOT be critised for her dancing! Age issue aside, her dancing is nothing new. I have seen worse in our Carnivals and other parties.Also I find it quite entertaining that a child out danced some grown @ss women as well. Whether that is a positive reflection of her abilities or something that indicates that she is slack I cant say. However, she MUST take the full blame and criticism for lying to her parents, going somewhere that she should not be in the first place….and on a school night! That young lady should be home doing her homework! Furthermore where did she get the money to purchase her attire, navel ring and jewellery and the tattoo (whether that is real or not is unknown)????? It either means that she is getting them from her parents, friends or ‘Manfriends’. Who is supervising this child and why is she behaving like that? If she was over 18 the situation would be totally different.
Thirdly, AKON MUST be blamed and condemned for his behaviour. It has nothing to do with RACE at all! Whether if he is darker than the ace of spades or whiter than skim milk….Akon had no right to treat a female like that! Regardless if she was 14 or 41….no entertainer should swing and hump a woman like that! Just like how a motion can be made to bar Elton John from entering this country, so too must Akon and other rappers! Akon lied to the women who went on stage, and it is very evident that he planned his actions, because his intention was to film the act and post it on the internet! Furthermore, Akon must be held accountable for his actions, and *cough* up the prize. The young lady in question won the ‘contest’ fair and square and deserves her trip to Africa.
Fourthly, why did the crowd in Zen cheer on Akon while he degraded Deena? Instead of cheering they should have booed him. If we as Trinbagonians cant realise when someone is disrespecting our women, then it will happen again and again. Jay Z was the 1st to do it and Akon is certainly not the last. Furthermore shame on some members of the Trini public who are stealing pics of this girl from her Hi5 account and sending it around the world via email! Regardless of how you think of her…’foolish, slack’ or ‘baddist’…Deena is a child/minor and her privacy must be maintained. SHAME SHAME SHAME!
There is also an additional element to this situation that many may not be aware of. I am quite acquainted with one of the six or seven females who were not so highlighted by the media who also participated in the wining competition where Danah came under scrutiny. This female who was not a minor indicated that when they went on stage that Akon and his handlers warned the females about the media presence. He informed them about the local media presence, the fact that there were photographers present and that the performance would be filmed or recorded and would end up on international media. He said they then have the option to stay or return to the crowd.
I think this is important to note, as the females, including Danah did have a choice at every step of the way whether they wanted their dancing exposed to public scrutiny. This still does not mean that anything was necessarily wrong with their dancing. I agree that much of the comments being circulated are as a result of people’s strange ideas about sex and sexuality. It does show, however, that Akon did make sure to let the participants know the possible consequences.
this kind of stuff happens all the time , in any party you go to in any country. I have been to a lot of places all over the world and what that girl did is not uncommon. I am sure we all have done things in our lives that even to this day you have not told your parents. But back to the dancing, I would say that we as trinidadians have a very special way of dancing and the girl is probably a very good one at that. It is part of our culture and that makes us very unique . The younger generation will have their way of doing what they do and the older people will not like it and they can’t do anything about it. So to all those in authority mind your business and stop trying to be a dictator.
Looking at the male/female double standards prevalent, it makes me wonder what the reaction would be if this was an underage male, same circumstances with a female performer.
I doubt anyone would be calling him a whore, slut, having low morals or whatever else is being judged here.
i believe dat ppl just dnt kno what they talkin about. This is a 14 yr-old who says she goes to this club Zen or whatever the name is, very often. now tell me where were her parents, bro n sis at those time?
And then her pops gonna say he doesnt blame poor likkle danah for the incident, n him is pastor. Doesnt he see that she was ohhh so very much enjoying everybit of it, i kno we aint blind so if her parents are then they need God to just spit on some dirt n rub over them eyes. wat him think, does he think she gonna learn from this, do yall really think she gonna learn from this.please!! if she cud betray her parents trust like dat n them still stand by her without letting her face her own consequences then dnt think she gonna learn like dat.
can u imagin goin to his church n him tellin u dat u mus kno where ur kids at, and at dat time him dnt even kno where his 15yr old is, sick n sad, very sad. i dnt want to judge but there is no way i wud let dat pastor encourage or even advice me on any matter.
Danah u will leave a scar on your family becaus of ur “fun-filled akon experience”
What’s the big deal. A 14 year old girl broke the rule; A grown man was performing; The club was lax on security; Big deal. It happens all the time. This should not be big news.
Put the girl in a convent, she’s wild.
Invite Akon back. He’s popular.
Fine the club owner. He’s greedy and irresponsible.
And you, stop talking about this and get a life.
What`s the big deal this is part of the culture of Trinidada and Tobago at most parties and it is evident for all to see during the pre carnival celebrations and on carnival Monday and Tuesday.
I read in one article that it was the norm and acceptance for the darker skined women to be winning and degrading themselves.RUBBISH!!!
Take a look at the recent videos of this years carnival and you will see alot of light skin women as well protrading themselves in the most vulgar way for everyone to see.
As a Trini living abroad I take offence to the statement written by one ignoramous because there are alot of descent dark skined “ladies” who would go out to parties and maintain their dignity at the same time.
Now lets be honest and stop this double standard. We all know that there are good and there are bad. Not because this fourteen year old`s father is a preacher she`s any different. The club had a responsibilty to screen their young patrons which they didn`t hope they learn from their mistake. Now as for the father and bother are concern, this child did not turn out this way overnight, they were aware of her rebellion streak and now the whole world knows her vile behaviour they want to blame others. The preacher probably had the vision as they say, to see what was to become of his darling daughter that`s why he named her Dinah sorry Danah got caught up there for a moment with Sparrow`s old time ditty.
If I was that minister I would keep my tail between my legs and stop making a mockery of Trinidad and Tobago if Akon has to be arrested so too are all those ment during carnival who were seen winning on women. Come on the real issue is this girl lied and the pastor should be spanking her from now till next ash wednesday. Stop making this out to be a race issue when its not and stop giving the world this image that only the dark skinned women of T&T are less than respectful the evidence is there for all to see!
Zen apologises for lewd Akon dance
The management of Zen has apologised to Danah Alleyne, her family and the public for the dirty dancing incident at the nightclub that featured Alleyne and R&B/hip-hop performer Akon.
Pastor’s daughter controversy
Club Zen admits to ‘error in judgment’
“We were wrong,” say the owners and management of club Zen.
They are now admitting an error in judgment in allowing 15-year-old Danah Alleyne through their doors.
However, Zen officials stated that the teenager lied about her age to the club security, insisting that she was 18 years old even after they denied her entry and offered to refund her money for her VIP ticket.
“We have always been proactive in our security measures to try our best to ensure that minors do not gain entry to Zen,” stated the news release.
“We do not shy away from our responsibility in this matter and accept that we made an error in judgment on the night in question.”
The officials of Zen insist that the club has adopted a policy of restricting the sale of tickets for concerts to anyone under the age of 18, but “cannot control the purchase or obtaining of tickets by minors via scalpers or other adults.”
According to the news release, preliminary investigations revealed that door staff stopped Alleyne and requested ID which she said she did not have.
She was then informed that she would not be allowed entry to the VIP level which has a strict policy of 21 years and over and the offer to refund her ticket was made.
When she refused, based on “her appearance” staff made the decision to allow her entry to the club on Level 1, according to the release.
“Our door staff had to deal with a large number of people on the night and made a judgment call to allow her into the club and we stand by their decision which in hindsight was an error on our part but was made without knowing that Alleyne was underage.
“We at Zen wish to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. We stand ready to co-operate with any and all Government bodies to ensure that this will not happen again.
“We welcome any review of the current legislation and will support and enforce any amendments that are passed.”
The officials also apologised to Danah, the Alleyene family and the public at large, “with the hope that with time, the embarrassment and pain caused by this incident will ease, especially for Danah.”
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news13.html
That’s right. What’s the big deal? The only big deal is that as a parent myself with a son of 16years almost, albeit that I live in London. He CANNOT attend a club at his age. My daughters could not go clubbing at 14 years.
We Trinidadians CANNOT turn back now. Even though Danah should have conducted herself with more grace and respect and kept her dignity intact,our children know very well how to wine and carry on from an early age.
Danah the temptation was too much to resist and dancing with this AKON did bring you fame for all the wrong reasons. Do you think he would care what people are saying about you now. Wait until you are of the gae to handle harsh comments.
My darling child, you have many years in which to grow up into a beautiful woman. Ok, I am not happy with the photos I saw but NONE OF US ARE PERFECT. We HAVE ALL Made MISTAKES that we WISH would just disappear. I have made my good share. It’s ok to make a mistake but DONT make the SAME mistake twice.
As for the pastor. Akon did what all men would do given the chance. Let’s not fool ourselves.
Whether you are a pastor or not, as parents it is our duty to ensure we know the whereabouts of our children, well as much as we can.
Danah, chin up. Just reflect and consider how you will move forward.
Of course there is wide and crimson band of hypocrisy throughout all of this. During Carnival we see pictures of little girls as young as six years old scantily clad and gyrating suggestively along with their female adult counterparts. And this is being done in public. I suspect that outsiders who have had a glimpse of what goes on during Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago and what went on at club Zen with Danah must be scratching their heads, perplexed at the glaring inconsistency and hypocrisy that inundates our examination of social issues.
Lets think about some things here. (1) Race is included in EVERYTHING in America. Yes I know you are in Trinidad but whether you want to admit or not Trinidad is America. (2)Akon lied in the first place which makes him at deep fault here. And (3) We cannot compare what Akon did with wining! I saw what he did and that was not dancing. I am from Panama, My wife from Jamaica and my cousin is married to a beautiful queen of T&T so I know what I am talking about. We do dis-service to our culture when we compare what Akon did to winin up on a young lady.
Enough said!!! Time for action by the relevant authorities or as a famous ex president once said “morals and values”. Danah got caught what about the countless of young ladies behaving in similar or worst ways in parties and fetes all year round. This was a real publicity fiasco!!!!
Ensayn1 I did not realise that there were degrees of “wining up” suggestively. So what is your yardstick for measuring what is acceptable and what is not? That is a patently idiotic observation that you made. When people rub those parts of their bodies associated with carnality together while clothed, that is “wining up” whether it occurs in club Zen or in public during carnival.
It is quite clear that the light skinned female/dark skinned black male sexual psychosis, always just below the surface of our public persona, has taken hold of many expounding on this issue. And this includes many of Africans descent comfortable and not willing to loose the distinction in their lighter shade of brown. Well stick around it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. The biblical expression that “the truth will set you free” is applicable in every walk of life and living. “Emancipate yourselves from that mental slavery” that precludes you from seeing reality as it is, rather than what you hope it would be.
I think Zen should not apologies, what she doing out there in the first place and have the nerve to go on stage and she is a pastor daughter what cut ass…..now akon going to sing a song about trinidad watch…and on top of that fust trinidad like money they sewing akon..allyah is rel fools..
I think that Dana Alleyne should be held totally accountable for her actions. What is a 15 year old doing going to a nightclub for in the first place when she knows she isn’t 18 and has no ID. And on top of that she was practically half naked (dressed like a slut).She knew exactly what she was doing. She had the option to say no when he started dancing with her. She is only remorseful because she got caught. I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT SYMPATHIZE WITH THIS LITTLE GIRL!!!!!
Why must the public, forgive the actions of Danah and even Akon?……..The owner of Zen is not a fault in this incident, however the security should have been fully responsible…i mean check for IDs…… A friend once told me recently, while forming a line outside of Zen to enter, he witness that the bouncers were refusing to allow guys to enter because they were either underage or didnt have they IDs, however, once a female looks like 18 or older, even though she is not or does have proper ID they still allows her to enter. In the Morning News…a program had her father on the show…he said his daugther said she was going to dinner with friends….she left the house fully dress as a pastor daughter should be.. and then danah ended up at Zen, with her friends i believe… Akon as a performer had NO RIGHT to dance like that with a lady, how old she may be. He should leave that for his bedroom.
As far as i’m concerned…i’m a youth of my nation trinidad…and a yound lady none the less….Danah has made every yound ladies of this country shame, well at least the ladies with self respect and dignity. I have no intentions of forgiving her nor Akon. And i feel sorry for her parents esp. her dad…I have issues with my parents, just like everyone else, but one thing even though my parents and i dont see eye to eye…I WOULD HAVE NEVER BROUGHT MY FAMILY’S NAME TO SHAME AND MY PARENT’S RESPECT AND TRUST TOWARDS ME TO NOTHING.
I just want to point out the facts as I see it.
1) This young woman (child) lied about where she was heading to that night.
2) Arrived at this night club dressed up like a mature and experienced woman. From what I understand she was initially denied entry into the club but was eventually allowed to enter because of the way she was dressed (not to mention that she had a VIP ticket and was out late at night), I mean who is expecting a child to be out waiting to enter a club at that hour.
3) She then WILLINGLY went up onstage knowing that she should not be in this club, to take part in a wining contest (probably to show off that the pastor daughter could wine with the best of them). Grinned all the way through the dance with Akon, holding him tighter than a newborn monkey holds onto it’s mother. That was part one of the “abuse” part to came when she REMAINED on the stage and allowed herself to be “abused” more.
4) She then goes home and says nothing of her earlier mistreatment to her parents, but brags about dancing with Akon to her friends (I am sure).
5) Story makes news, she feels like an enormous FOOL, so she goes straight into victim mode.
YOU ARE NOT AN INNOCENT VICTIM IN THIS SITUATION.
Zen nightclub security should have definitely been stricter in enforcing their underage policies, but who would have looked at her (the way she was dressed and think she is underage), even in the news paper, before the story of her age broke loose, they referred to her as “Akon’s lady friend”.
Her parents are to blame as well, I mean what excuse did she produce for coming home at that late hour. She even admitted that she has been to Zen on other occasions, do you allow your 15 year old daughter to come and go as she pleases?
I have seen pictures of this child since the story broke, she obviously hasn’t been the innocent pastor’s daughter even before this incident, those of you who have seen these pictures know what I am talking about.
As someone said before, Akon came here for a concert expecting that everyone in the crowd would be adults, I am not excusing his behavior, it was DISGUSTING, but he too was misled by this young lady. Would you go to America, look at their young women dressed up or rather DRESSED DOWN exposing their upper female attributes, and tattoos on their lower backs (I am assuming that is what I saw in one of her pictures) and say, that girl looks like she is 14 or 15 or even 16? Come on, lets be honest with ourselves.
Various persons have commented that this behavior is to be considered lewd, so my question to them is what would you consider the behavior every year at carnival time to be? Because children as young as her are out on the street carrying on in much the same manner during jouvert celebrations etc, grown men and women carry about just the same. Are you going to locate everyone of them and produce a list of charges?
This issue has been blown up into a “big thing” ONLY because people found out who this girl was and how old she she really is. There are many to blame, but more so this young lady for placing herself in the situation and her parents for not keeping a closer eye on their child.
At the end of her exciting night out dancing with Akon, she simply did the one thing no young person likes to do..GET CAUGHT.
I am a YOUNG GIRL. In my EARLY TEENS and if my parents found ouut that I did something like that they woulod have beat me and never let me out of the house again. Parents need to take responsibilty for their children’s actions. That girl is not no saint. She was in Carnival already and doing all kinds of things she just happen to be caught on camera. Akon should not be lbamed because he had no way of knowing that she was a minor. She look like 20 . She ain’t look like no 14 or 15 year old. Akon is a performer and what he did was perform. I don’t see why they want to sue him when that girl should not have been there. She did not have to go on the stage but she brought it on herself. I feel very ashamed as a young lady to be in Trinidad and to know that boys may be thinking that she could have been me or that I’LL DO THAT TO THEM. hOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FEEL. She brought INTERNATIONAL shame on herself, her family, her country, her church and her religion.
No one should listen to her father because he cannot even control his own daughter so how can he tell us what to do.
AKON and ZEN should not get sued because she had no right to be there.
i think this matter is very disgusting and we the citizens of trinidad and tobago should stop hurting our heads our danah. i have one more question though. what did danah’s dad do? what is danah’s punishment? he haven’t made any comments. i wonder if he is to busy preaching.
I strongly believe that there are alot of people to blame besides those being akon & the owner of the club, she told her parents she was going out to buy ice cream,i wonder what were there comments when she came home at whatever hour, that is if they were actually home.I think that it is being blown out of proportion because of the main fact that they found out she is the daughter of a preacher.what then would they say about the conduct of performers at CARNIVAL TIME”
Megannh
Why must the public, forgive the actions of Danah and even Akon
Where the hell does the public you refer to get the authority to preside over the forgiveness of social sins. A bunch of religious hypocrites who go to church on Sunday mornings and flaggelate themselves on the pretext they are “catching the spirit”, and then immediately they leave the building get to whispering and talking about their neighbours do not have the purity of spirit to confer forgiveness on anyone.
You guys should lighten up and realize that no one is fooled anymore by your uppity posturings. So a faux pas of a young man and a light skinned female delinquent occurred in an adult club. It does not represent the rapture, and if it was any indication of the proximity of that event, Akon and Danah would probably be accepted by Christ before those “standing at corners, beating on their chests and shouting Lord Lord”, while the crocodile tears run down their silly and cheeks. It is you who he will be sending to burn, not two young people guilty of youthful, albeit carnal, indescretions. Get a life man!
Ruel Daniels….no….that was a question posted “why must the public forgive them?” Our Honourable Prime Minister has requested that the public forgive her actions. I know that it is not us (public) to forgive….i mean it is God’s Place to forgive not us.
This is the only media that is not carrying a facial shot of the attention-seeking Danah, her family and the raunchy video of Danah and Akon at Zen. Almost every day Danah’s brother is on TV or some newspapers manipulating this story for attention. Today he was on television saying that club Zen should not have been closed down.
On the front page of the Probe newspaper, which is available on the streets today, you see another full picture of Danah in one of her ‘sexy poses’ with the headline “Big brother speaks out ‘I am not ashamed of Danah’”. It is as though the preacher’s family sees this publicity as a boost for a modeling or dancing career for Danah.
I think the preacher’s family is dysfunctional, although I maintain that Danah’s lifestyle and conduct is typical of that of a spoilt teen who is overeager for widespread adoration.
Megannh
Ruel Daniels….no….that was a question posted “why must the public forgive them?” Our Honourable Prime Minister has requested that the public forgive her actions. I know that it is not us (public) to forgive….i mean it is God’s Place to forgive not us.
I humbly beg your forgiveness for misinterpreting the line Megannh. Please disregard the acidity in my comments.
There’s nothing to forgive Ruel….:)…..it’s an honest mistake……
Ok Trinidadians, let’s get ack to our normal lives, commenting on the behaviour of a misguided teen and an overzealous entertainer profits us not if we do not put anything in place to prevent same in the future.
Danah made a mistake and Akon made a bad assumption. The Zen was not vigilant and we are all hypocrits as we cast aspersions on an assuming isitor who sees Trinidadians behaving like himself and worse in nearly nothing for two days and we criticize him when he emmulates us?
C’mon T&T let’s be our typical “nine-day wonder(ful)” selves and forget about it and move on…
Let’s talk about when we will pay less for food, get better health facilities, schools, homes for all (and not all the rich people who can afford to pay one point something million and up…oops but they don’t cause they getting them from HDC before people who cannot afford it).
Let’s talk about how we can make T&T better…Let’s talk!