One-armed artiste pushing for peace

Losing an arm during a mishap can break the human spirit. But this was not the case for reggae artiste Ras Oney, who remains fully focused on achieving a fulsome music career.

"I lost my right arm when I was five years old while playing on a tractor. The owner who lived in the same yard came home for lunch and left the tractor in motion. It had a propeller at the back used for cutting grass. My shirt sleeve got caught in the propeller, which instantly chopped off my arm," he shared.

"I was born right-handed. I got no therapy. But remember, I was just five years old, so I challenged myself and refocused my mind and told myself I was born that way, and it became natural," he explained about adapting to using his left hand.

Born Kenroy Graham in St Catherine, Ras Oney said that losing his arm motivated him, knowing that life must go on.

"This allowed me to excel over other able-bodied students at school. Even today as an adult performing on stage, I don't even remember I had lost an arm," he said.

He started out in music by deejaying on his uncle's sound system as a teenager. He said his main objective for doing music is to spread peace and denounce crime and violence as the country continues to grapple with murders daily.

"It's tough out there. It's a battle between positive and negative music, even the prime minister sees what is happening. But the Government cannot do it alone; we entertainers have a part to play, too," he said.

The Spanish Town singjay voices his concerns on the single Crime Free Jamaica, which is a collaboration with deejay Profit Revelation.

"This song represents the hope of decent, law-abiding citizens who want a better Jamaica for everyone. We are working to let this happen by counteracting negativity and replacing it with positive, clean and uplifting music which will instil lasting values and attitudes in society," Ras Oney explained.

The artiste said that he saw much violence and killing during his early years.

"A lot of friends who claimed to be bad and wicked are now dead and resting in the cemetery, some gunned down by their own friends or during shoot-outs with the police," he said.