Etana and Queen Ifrica are the two latest reggae artists to express concerns about the growing number of suicide in Jamaica.
Both reggae stars appealed to Jamaicans, particularly the children, not to make suicide an option as they spoke openly about the issue in Montego Bay during the four-day music festival ‘Live at the Waterfront’ last weekend.
During her performance Etana told the large crowd” “I know you maybe going through a lot right now, I know because there were points in my life when I thought I could not go on further, but I want to tell you that suicide is not the answer.
“There are other ways to get through whatever it is you are going through without killing yourself,” Etana added.
During her set Queen Ifrica paused to reinforce the importance of the level of attentiveness needed for children especially at this time where suicide seems like an easy way to escape their problems.
“Parents, we need to pay better attention to the persons who our children are associating themselves with” a concerned Queen Ifrica told the gathering to thunderous applause.
Information from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and a book titled Confronting Suicide: Helping Teens at Risk, authored by Dr Donovan Thomas, show that between 1999 and 2009, there were 627 reported cases of suicide in Jamaica.
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