From Canada, Dave Brown sends this report of a meeting between Jamaican Prime Minister P J Patterson and the island's reggae community. Any comments on the vexed question of reggae lyrics and violence? E mail us.

At the meeting, which was called by the prime minister to seek solutions to violent themes in music, Patterson beseeched deejays, producers and sound system operators present to tone down on behaviour which, he suggested, encouraged violence.

"You have to draw the line between what is protest and what incites violence," said Patterson. "You cannot ignore what some of the songs do to an audience." Pointing out that several entertainers have met violent deaths since the start of the year, Patterson said the violence in the inner cities should be seen as a wake-up call by the artistes in particular."There's nothing wrong with someone singing that poor people are fed up but singing about guns is out of line," stressed Patterson. Junior Braithwaite, a founding member of the Wailers group; producer Henry Lawes and keyboardist Mikey Wallace, all met violent deaths in the space of one month.

For their part, the entertainers said they were wrongly targetted by government and civic groups. They pointed to the "harassment" of sound systems by the security forces as one of their main grouses.One committee will target the functions of the Night Noises Act. The other's job is to fine-tune the business arm of the entertainment sector.

Entertainment lawyer, Lloyd Stanbury, one of the members of the latter committee, described the meeting as timely."It was significant that everybody was represented, it shows that government is prepared to listen to the sector," said Stanbury.

The meeting, which featured lively banter from deejay Buju Banton and sound system operator, Ricky Trooper, was not without incident. Dub poet, Jesse Jendau, presented a "gift" of wrapped ganja to the prime minister. "Ah notice no one carry any present for yuh, Mr PM, this is for you," said the rambling Rastafarian. Amid roars of laughter from the entertainers, Patterson declined.