Dear Editor:

We know who we say we are, but are we truly?

In my humble opinion our culture is one of the things that define who we are. It is our customs that make us a unique society. We as Bahamians for some reason beyond me seem more eager to embrace that which is not ours for time indefinite. When we embrace something we take it home to live and breathe as our own.

Our music is something that we all should be proud of, but for some reason mainstream local radio seems to place it as a third-class citizen. If I didn't know better, sometimes morning, noon and night I could swear I am riding down I-95 or in Jamaica. It seems to me that our local DJs are more eager to promote the biggest stars in America or Jamaica than to play anything Bahamian. They could tell you the last time Jay Z went to the bathroom or when Chris Brown took a shower, but they can't tell you who Ronnie Butler is. It is no wonder that a lot of our visitors still can't tell us apart from Jamaica.

We are so quick to blame and criticize our governments for not doing this and that, but I think it is the duty of every Bahamian to protect and preserve that which is ours. Our music is one of the many things that give our people an identify; let's not lose it. I thing our radio stations single-handedly are destroying our country as it relates to the promotion of our indigenous music.

If you were to visit Jamaica you wouldn't hear our music been played accidentally on any popular station, so why are we bombarding our listeners with reggae in the evening and more and more at supper time. Also please don't get me misunderstood. I am not suggesting that we shouldn't play any other music other than our music, but I think it should be the other way around. Jamaicans have a rich musical and cultural heritage and work hard promoting their music; they are passionate about their music and culture. We should seriously take note. They made a vow to take their music and culture to the world and they do just that.

Our popular radio stations are now responsible for our next generation of entertainers and musicians — all of who are recording 100 percent reggae rap music. It is all our young listeners have. They have no choice. Yes, "you are what you eat." And what and who you listen to has a great influence.

It seems as if it pains them to play our music. We complain about us being second-class in our own country, but I don't know if it's ignorance but we do a good job of making sure that our music suffers the same fate. Our popular radio and club DJs are writing the book on "cultural destruction" as it relates to the promotion of our music.

The next generation of musicians and entertainers, song writers, music producers know now in order to get played on the popular radio station, they will have to record anything that's not Bahamian for their four minutes of fame, and hope that DJs like it so then maybe their song would be placed into a regular rotation.

I challenge all popular radio DJs to really think about what they are doing to our young. Yes you do have a responsibility to promote that which is truly Bahamian, unless you are not yourself a born Bahamian. You should be the one suggesting to your station manager ways in which you can promote our music and if you are not a Bahamian, or at least have our best interest as a country at heart, then you should have already packed.

I challenge station owners and managers to set aside one week for nothing but culture. I assure you it wouldn't kill you; it is the least you can do for a country that has given you much, and a place we all

claim to love and would not leave for all the money in the world. "Call it NBC week"; it is the least you can do — "Nothing but Culture Week." Take a page form the Jamaicans and do what you can to help take our music to the world.

We live at a time when our music can be exposed to the wider world listeners if only it is played. Are we going to let our ignorance cost us to lose a part of our cultural identify? Let's try to place the same energy that we place into promoting that which is truly ours. Let's love who we are.

Yours, etc.,

Alphie Butler