BDS roundup: Zakir Hussain cancels performances in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem

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BDS roundup: Zakir Hussain cancels performances in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem

In this week’s roundup of news from the global boycott, divestment and sanctions movement: Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain cancels his performances following appeals by BDS campaigners in India and Palestine; boycott activists in the Middle East urge Cirque du Soleil to cancel their show in Israel; Punks Against Apartheid appeal to the Red Hot Chili Peppers not to cross the picket line; Gaza families demand that the British Queen remove a blood diamond display in Tower of London; and student activists in Gaza seek to expand their solidarity and strategies with international students.

Following appeals by Indian and Palestinian BDS campaigners, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain announced that he was canceling his upcoming shows in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The performances were scheduled for next month.

Two weeks ago, INCACBI, the Indian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, wrote a letter to Hussain — a leading performer and composer of traditional and contemporary Indian music — appealing to him to cancel his scheduled shows. Their letter, which was signed by more than 85 Indian artists and musicians, stated:

Doing otherwise would inadvertently lend a stamp of approval to Israeli policies of colonialism, apartheid and occupation. Should Israel be admitted into the global cultural arena when it does not respect international law and recognize the Palestinian people s right to freedom, equality and justice? At a time when the international movement to isolate Israel is gaining ground in response to the escalation of Israel’s colonial and racist policies, we urge you to reflect upon the ethical implications of your accepting an invitation to perform in Israel. Your performance in Israel would help whitewash Israel’s practices, making it appear as though business with Israel should go on as usual.

The group also noted that Hussain played in Ramallah at a benefit for Palestinian refugee children in February, performing with the group Remember Shakti. INCACBI added:

In addition to your music, this is what we admire you for. So please don’t let your wonderful music be used to legitimize home demolitions, illegal raids, the use of white phosphorous, political and child imprisonments, racist marriage bans, piracy and execution in international waters, collective punishment, Occupation, checkpoints, roadblocks, and the bombing and closing of educational institutions. If you cancel your performance in Israel, you will also be encouraging other artists to follow your lead. And your fans all over the world will know you stand for justice and an end to apartheid.

On 11 June, Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Hussain had canceled his performances. In the article, Hussain’s managers stated that “he encountered strong objections to his visit to Israel, which manifested themselves in personal requests and an Internet petition that garnered signatures from more than 85 Indian artists.” Haaretz added the unsubstantiated, unattributed allegation that “the reason given was fear for the personal security of Hussain and his musicians, due to tension in the region.”

Nevertheless, INCACBI and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) both issued strong statements of support and gratitude to Hussain for respecting the BDS call.

INCACBI posted on its website that:

The members of INCACBI and all your Indian fans are so glad to hear you have cancelled your performance in Israel scheduled for July 2012.

No artist can create or perform without paying attention to the injustice in the world around him, or the bravery of people’s struggles such as the one in Palestine. As someone who makes wonderful music, we are happy you have remembered this.

We do hope you will join INCACBI (www.incacbi.in) and show the way to other Indian artists, musicians, filmmakers and writers to speak up for a just peace in Palestine and an end to apartheid.

We would also like to add a postscript: rumours from Israel that Palestinians were going to be invited to the concert and given entry permits to attend should be treated with the contempt they deserve. Such familiar public relations stunts — attempted most recently during Madonna’s visit to Israel — only underlines the fact that the Israeli government uses Palestinians to whitewash its crimes.

In their letter, PACBI added that:

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) would like to applaud and thank the world-class musician, Zakir Hussain, for canceling his performance in Israel. Hussain’s cancellation, coming on the heels of similar cancellations by Cassandra Wilson [and] Cat Power, among other international celebrities, has rattled the Israeli establishment and triggered even wider debate on the fast growth of BDS, particularly in the cultural domain, and its direct connection to Israel’s intensifying crimes against the Palestinians.

… We thank Hussain for his courage and hope that one day in the near future he will more vocally support the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) of Israel, as a morally consistent and peaceful form of resistance supported by the majority of Palestinian civil society institutions. We also wish to thank the great efforts by the Indian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (INCACBI) for appealing directly to Hussain and taking persistently working towards the freedom, equality and justice of the Palestinian people. The solidarity of the Indian people is a key component to our struggle.

Finally, we want to recognize the efforts of Palestinians who had themselves contacted Hussain and brought this issue to our attention. These individuals who will remain anonymous have been an instrumental part of the consistent growth of the BDS movement.