Shaka Pow embarks on ‘Fully Bright’ tour

Medical doctor and recording artiste Garth 'Shaka Pow' McDonald is hoping to inspire young minds with his 'Fully Bright' tour which he officially kicked off on Monday.

He told THE STAR that he decided to do the tour as he is highly concerned about the negative impact that the 'fully dunce' slang is having on schoolchildren, especially boys.

"I strongly believe in the importance of education, especially to take persons out of poverty and to move forward as a country. I am concerned about the impact that this [dunce culture] could have on our boys who tend to succumb to that type of peer pressure as it relates to those who are being bright and intelligent. Some of them will try to hide that part of them and try to be cool," he said.

Late last year, high-riding dancehall artiste Valiant had tongues wagging when he released the catchy single Dunce Cheque. Following its release, Information Minister Robert Nesta Morgan expressed his concern about the lyrical content of the track. He opined that the entertainer was making buffoonery appear desirable to the younger generation.

Shaka Pow, however, stated that he is in not bashing any entertainer who endorses the dunce culture.

"Rygin King was maybe the first we really hear talking about dunceness so much, but we know these artistes are quite intelligent. If we listen to their interviews and their song construction, including Valiant and others, then we know that they are quite eloquent. But we just don't want the young impressionable minds to have the wrong impression," Shaka Pow said.

"We don't want them to think it is okay to leave school and not have a subject because it will put them at a disadvantage in their lives, including the job market. Not everyone will be lucky to not have a good education level and still be successful," he added.

The first stop of the Fully Bright tour was at St John's Primary School in St Catherine. He stated that the students and educators were very receptive, and he is looking forward to continuing the tour for the rest of the term with the focus being schools in Kingston, St Andrew and St Catherine.

"We want a fully bright population that thinks and solves problems logically, and hopefully we will have less crime and eventually a crime-free society," he said.