Page 48 - Islands Business May-June 2022

Music Music

SWEET MESSAGE IN THE MUSIC

By Rowena Singh

South Auckland reggae artist, Sweet and Irie’s song may
be some 15 years old, but its message is as powerful and
important today.
Ban the Burn, which warns against meth use, was first
recorded in 2006, although an accompanying music video was
not filmed and released until 2020.
“I’ve been trying to keep this message alive since then,”
says singer/songwriter Ed Ru Ru. “I’ve got a social media
group called ‘Lets Ban The Burn Aotearoa Brother ED’.
Founded in 2005, the band is led by Ru, who was born in
South Auckland, raised in Otara, and spent time in the Cook
Islands as a youngster.
The 2019/20 New Zealand Health Survey found 1.1% of
New Zealand’s total population, or an estimated 45,000
adults, had used amphetamines for recreational or non–
medical purposes, or to get high, in the last 12 months.
Methamphetamine (meth) is one of the most commonly used
type of amphetamine.
Meth use is of increasing concern in a number of Pacific
Island nations as well, including Tonga and Fiji. Meth use can
impact several crucial organ systems and cause long-term
harm to the body, with users facing an elevated risk of heart
disease, stroke, liver damage, immune suppression, and even
Parkinson’s disease, and these conditions can be potentially
fatal.
“I’ve helped a lot of people get off meth just from
communications on my social media page,” says Ru. “I
message people at 3 to 4 in the morning to see if they are
alright and let people message me at 3 or 4am if they need
support and it’s been working.”
He says Ban the Burn is “just a song that I put together.
I’ve made merch (t-shirts, hoodies and masks with Ban the
Burn message) so people can wear the message and share
the message. It takes away the people’s negative attitudes
towards you. The message says that I’ve given it up and here’s
my korowai (design on the merchandise) to prove it. I have it
all on my social media page.”
Beginnings
Sweet and Irie was formed following Ru’s music studies.
“I did a music class at Te Wananga Aotearoa,” says Ru. “I
graduated with flying colours. I achieved 120 credits. It was
telling me that I had something special, and I need to carry it
on. So, I went home and made a street band – me and some
friends at home, just played our music to ourselves to inspire
us - our kids and family at home – till people like you came
along, noticed us and acknowledged what we were doing. You
came with your cameras, lights and microphones and made us
feel like stars. So we carried it on from there.”
One of his favourite music projects is one he did for a
primary school.
“I had five days to go and teach the kids at a primary school
a song for the Warriors game. On Saturday, we went to the

48 Islands Business, May-June 2022