Celebrated British-Lebanese selector and producer Saliah took to Instagram to announce that she will not perform at WOMANDelaide on March 10th, following the removal of the Palestinian electronic band 47Soul from the festival’s lineup.
Despite initially being invited to perform at this year’s WOMANDelaide, 47Soul had their invitation revoked earlier last week. The festival’s organizers claimed that the decision to leave the Palestinian musical band off the lineup was due to their doubts about being able to provide ‘a suitable safe environment’ for both the artists and the audience.
In solidarity with the Palestinian musical group, Saliah, who is known for her club-style remixes of classic Arabic pop music, chose to boycott the festival, explaining that ‘ WOMANDelaide’s rhetoric is deeply problematic, as it refuses to provide a ‘safe’ platform for Palestinian artists and their allies at a time where amplifying our voices could not be more critical’.
WOMANDelaide is an Australian four-day open-air music, arts, and dance festival, which began on March 8th and will run until March 11th at Botanic Park.
