The other day, I had a conversation with a Jamaican friend who works with youth from a range of communities. We were discussing the role of popular culture and role models in Jamaican society. He said some youth have no one to look up to, so they rely on successful entertainers like Vybz Kartel and, in past years, Bob Marley to tell them what’s up, what’s right and wrong, or even just inform them. Sometimes that is the only way they know what is going on in the world around them.

Unfortunately, there is a dearth of positive role models here in Jamaica, at least in popular culture. There are a few “conscious” reggae artists and athletes like Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell Brown.

After this conversation, it struck me how courageous of Romain Virgo it was to put out this video condemning rape. In North American society, we might not need a video or message like this telling boys and men to wait, not to force a girl into sex. But here, especially recently, it seems there are frequent headlines about girls and women, even boys, being raped.

So for someone such as Romain Virgo, to take a stand such as this, when he does not have to, is remarkable. Hopefully his message translates to the “ghetto youth” (a Jamaican term, not mine) and they give some thought to this message.