Bahamian activist releases song about protecting our children

Bahamian activist releases song about protecting our children

Bahamian activist and local recording artist Terneille Burrows released her latest single on iTunes Monday called ‘Are You Ready?’, with a message of protecting the nation’s youth.

The ballad, which she put off almost a decade after penning, tells the story of a five-month-old Bahamian girl who was raped and died in 2009. Just two years later in 2011, eleven-year-old Marco Archer’s life was brutally taken.

Burrows said was residing in New York working on her musical endeavors when she became aware of the “Bahamas Facebook Outrage”, as she puts it, on the horrific news of the infant’s assault.

“In June 2009, I came across this Bahamian Facebook outrage and all in a tizzy about this five-month-old girl that was raped and died, and her alleged rapist and murderer was put on out on bail,” Burrows recounted.

“Within that time, while in New York, I was feeling out of place. I couldn’t understand how something like this continued to happen.”

Last week, National Security Minister Marvin Dames announced the enactment of the pilot system MARCO Alert, which is  similar to the United States’ (U.S.) Amber Alert.

The enactment she said, made it the “most fitting time” to release.

According to Burrows, international singer Lana Del Ray’s music producer Sterling Fox reached out to her during her New York stint, and offered the idea of producing a song for her because he liked her voice.

“Before returning home where I started on my activist endeavors, I decided to write this song,” she said.

Burrows emphasized that she didn’t want to just write “any” song, but a song that would be about child protection, which she said, also led her to go public with her story about being molested by a family member at the age of five.

She said that she felt the country was always turning a blind eye, especially in instances of child abuse, pointing out the fact that most victims often know their abuser very well.

She said she wanted the release to come during a time of heightened sensitivity to the issue and, according to her, that time is now.