Contributed By Scott Lipscomb
Actor Michael B. Jordan recently announced his new rum brand which sparked backlash on social media. The name in question is “J’Ouvert” which is a carnival celebrated in the Caribbean with 19th Century slavery ties.
On Tuesday via an instagram post, he apologized as well as shared that he learned the meaning behind the carnival.
“I just wanna say on behalf of myself & my partners, our intention was never to offend or hurt a culture(we love & respect) & hoped to celebrate & shine a positive light on,” he began his post. “Last few days have been a lot of listening. A lot of learning & engaging in countless community conversations.”
He finished the post with an apology and plan to change the brand name.
“We hear you. I hear you & want to be clear that we are in the process of renaming,” he wrote. “We sincerely apologize & look forward to introducing a brand we can all be proud of.”
Nicki Minaj, who is Trinidadian, was among the many social media users who were not pleased with the brand name.
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“I’m sure MBJ didn’t intentionally do anything he thought Caribbean ppl would find offensive— but now that you are aware, change the name & continue to flourish & prosper. 🙏🏾🇹🇹 #jouvert,” the rapper captioned an Instagram post.
Page Six reported that Minaj also reposted a message explaining the significance the word has for Caribbean and Trinbagonian culture.
“J’Ouvert also known as jouvay originated in Trinidad with the festivities of Canboulay, which was a time when sugarcane fields caught on fire and slaves were still forced to harvest the remaining crops before complete destruction,” the post read. “That event was reenacted and male slaves were mocked by their masters. However after emancipation the slaves mocked the masters mocking them. The festival begins way before the crack of dawn and proceeds a little past sun up.”
The message explains the celebration was later “adopted by other Caribbean islands as they experienced emancipation throughout different periods in history.”