The president of Anguilla Teachers’ Union has defended a music video he made that contains explicit content, saying he has not broken any rules.
“Art is a depiction of life as it is or how the artist imagines it should be,” Terron Azille said in a press release on 6 September.
“If we choose to suffocate the arts, we should also be bold and brave enough to declare that we are ashamed of our culture.”
Azille, who makes music under the artist name Jahari Chi, released a music video of his song Rockstar on YouTube as part of the Anguilla Summer Festival celebrations.
The song features profane language, makes reference to drinking, drug use, sex, and guns, and the video reflects that content.
According to Azille, he was called to a meeting with Department of Education officials on 4 September to discuss the implications of the music video.
“I expressed my feelings on how the situation has been handled thus far,” he said in the press release.
“I stated my case, defended my art, refuted any suggestions of wrongdoing and reaffirmed that this is not a matter of people’s personal perceptions.”
General orders
The General Orders for the Anguilla Public Service are a code of regulations with instructions for the conduct of public officers.
Azille said he is “fully confident” that he has not breached any section of the document
“If I have, it should be brought to light and then we can take the discussion to the next level where we focus on the double standards and hypocrisy running rampant within the Anguilla Public Service.”
He said Department of Education officials told him they will continue to review the matter and get back to him.
The teacher thanked those present at the meeting for the opportunity to state his case and reassure them that he is “well aware” of his rights and responsibilities in society.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education told Anguilla Focus: “The department is unable to discuss the matter further at this time.
“The chief education officer will communicate formally once in a position to do so.”
Personal life
Azille said he sees it as his responsibility as a teacher and father to create an environment where people of all walks of life can excel while feeling comfortable in their own skin.
Many intelligent young men are falling through the cracks because people’s perceptions stop them from pursuing professions that may be deemed not compatible with their personal lives, he said.
“I am a teacher and I represent the views of many teachers when I say that there must be a distinction between the professional life of an educator and what they choose to partake in, in their personal life as an adult,” he said.
Azille suggested that the unwritten standards expected of teachers are not enforced elsewhere in the public service.
Moving forward, he hopes that the matter will result in a more conscious, inclusive and fair society for all.
He also hopes more emphasis will be placed on concerns plaguing the teaching fraternity which he said lead to teacher burnout and high attrition rates.
The union president referenced the secretary general of the United Nations’s ‘Call to Action’ for human rights which states: “Disregard for human rights is widespread”.
