The Ghana reggae star Blakk Rasta has agreed to engage with Amnesty representatives after his comments made to a website caused international uproar.

In an interview given to GhanaMusic.com he described homosexuality as a “mental disorder”. 

Amnesty reacted angrily to the comments and this led to the musician contacting Amnesty directly.

In a statement given to Amnesty International, Blakk Rasta said, “As a Rasta man I uphold values of non-violence, non-discrimination, veganisim, understanding and love.

“The international reaction to my comments, has persuaded me that I need to go deeply into the matter and do some more research on this subject [of homosexuality]. I would encourage anyone who has researched this subject to send me the information on my web site so that I can form a considered opinion."

 “In the meantime if my remarks have caused any form of violence it was not at all intended, that is something I would never want.”

Gay rights campaigners have complained for many years about some of reggae's biggest stars over lyrics that incite violence against lesbian and gay people.

Music