(Watch video at end of post)
Trinidadian soca artiste Benjai enjoyed more than just Vincentian hospitality when he visited to perform at the “Rise Up SVG” charity concert on Saturday.
The artiste, whose real name is Rodney Le Blanc, wrapped and smoke a “spliff” (marijuana cigarette) while waiting to perform at the show, which aimed to raise the estimated EC$400,000 needed to repair the Maternity Ward at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, which was damaged during the passage of a trough system on Christmas Eve.
Lester “Mack” Iroha, who has produced at least one of Benjai’s songs, also took several drags on the spliff.
The smoking took place under a tent where members of the Resistance Heartbeat Drummer were sheltering rain and had continued drumming after their performance early in the show.
The drummers, media workers, and other members of the public were under the tent when Benjai and his entourage walked in.
The artiste was initially smoking a cigarette but later wrapped up the spliff, and inserted one end of it into the partly burnt cigarette then continued smoking.
He took intermittent puff while singing extemporaneously to the drumming.
Iroha and another member of Benjai’s entourage took what appeared to be audio recordings of the singing.
Benjai later performed at the concert, taking off his shirt at the beginning of the act, revealing a six-pack, much to the excitement of women in the audience.
(Watch video highlights of the show)
He was among several regional artistes, including Allison Hinds of Barbados, and Grenadian Tallpree, to perform at the charity event.
The cultivation, possession, and sale of marijuana is illegal in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but marijuana is widely used and readily available for purchase.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has asked the regional bloc, CARICOM, to consider the decriminalisation of marijuana for medical purposes.
So wtf wrong with having a joint? I can’t believe in times like these we so small minded and scandalous. Before ya’ll start rambling and Maco-ing people find the real news and report it. Cha! Defaming the man name over crap!!!!
media courage me bredren, take your cameras to the hills bigga spliff ah light up dey
If it’s only a spliff, a joint, where is the defamation?
Kenton, rum which kills and injure people were in abundance that night, which you saw. But I am surprise you never reported on that sort of drugs called RUM.
IWN report the news! Where is the defamation? All yo got to be kidding me.
This is what have SVG in the state it is in today small mindedness like the trinidadians call us we are not jus small islanders ,listen to the coments here ” it is just a joint ” and that should be justifaction enough for an unlawful act but yes we do take our que from our government because ” they doing it too ” , in the meantime we remain a nation of beggers without shame .
So wait eh… to raise four hundred thousand with a spliff is a war.At least he aint just sitting down on his ass jus smoking it. I am glad you got a picture of it though, Vincy weed will sell more. Having said all that, there is a time and a place for everything. This just give the population more reason to smoke. You really shouldn’t have done this!
I am disgusted at this, at the fact that it is even being aired and this individual has not even being charged for breaking the law. it seems that the laws in this island is a joke. I am very disappointed to hear that people are above the law.