Apartheid: some musicians oppose it, some condone it

As reported in earlier articles on this site, it seems like the world of modern music is becoming increasingly involved in the struggle against Israeli Apartheid.

There are some artists who are taking courageous stands in challenging the musical establishment of the West, which is traditionally protective of the colonial Zionist project which calls itself the ‘state of Israel’.

However, other musicians are openly or quietly portraying themselves as being completely immune to calls from human rights organizations to embrace the cultural boycott against the decades-long oppression and occupation of Palestine. Let’s have a look at how things are going, and how well-known artists are dealing with the issue.

One of the most positive recent developments, which was also given ample attention at the Musical Intifada, was that of several UK artists banding together under the name OneWorld, and launching a powerful song written by Faithless’ Dave Randall called ‘Freedom for Palestine’.

Endorsements for OneWorld

This launch made headlines especially after it was endorsed by the world famous band Coldplay, and has also been receiving words of support from anti-Apartheid legend Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, British film star Julie Christie and English film and television director Ken Loach.

The endorsement of the single by Roger Waters was particularly strong:

“I applaud Dave Randall and Maxi Jazz, and all the other musicians who came together to record ¨Freedom for Palestine¨. I fully share, and endorse, the sentiments they express in their song, more power to them and to all who stand together in the fight for a free Palestine . We shall overcome!”

The single needs 25,000 buyers in order to make it into the UK top 10. If this were to be achieved, it would really be a major historical breakthrough. Click here to help make it happen!

Artists who cancelled ‘Israel’

An increasing list of international artists have in recent times cancelled their scheduled Tel Aviv gigs after receiving appeals from the BDS movement:  Elvis Costello, Carlos Santana and the recently deceased Gill Scott-Heron are among the most notable names.

Around the time of the Flotilla attack, the Klaxons, Gorillaz Sound System and the Pixies cancelled their performances, apparently in response to the atrocities. Other artists have refused or cancelled their gigs without the stated reason being explicitly political, among them Bono, U2, Snoop Dogg and Vanessa Paradis.

Artists who ignored BDS calls

On the downside, there is a number of artists who seem to show no interest at all in human rights issues, at least not enough to let it prevail over their business considerations.

Famous singers and acts like Elton John, Bob Dylan, Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Armatrading, Jeff Beck and Suzanne Vega ignored calls from BDS organizations to make a statement for human rights by canceling their Tel Aviv performances.

Macy Gray went about it in a much shrewder way,  by creating the impression that she was willing to reconsider her scheduled performance and generating a lot of media interest through the huge Facebook row that resulted from the posts on her page. She ended up performing in Tel Aviv anyway, while having rescued herself from oblivion and making sure she had an audience to play for.

The latest shocker from the world of music however, must be the most disgusting of all. Shakira, the Lebanese Colombian singer famous for her Latin belly dance acts, figuratively speaking stuck up her middle finger at the entire BDS effort, the Palestinian people, and at human rights in general, by appearing in Jerusalem at the Israeli Presidential Conference on June 21.

Shakira’s exaggerated pro-Zionist move

Although she was there as Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, and her topic was ‘children and education’, she managed to hold a speech which completely avoided any mention of the word ‘Palestinian’. It did, however, contain the phrase: ‘We are all Israel’. You would think this belly-shaking ignoramus doesn’t have any relatives in Lebanon, the country that was brutally bombarded in 2006 by Israeli aggression – but she does.

To top this all off, she added a nausea-invoking gesture by spontaneously and warmly hugging and kissing Shimon Peres, notorious Israeli war criminal and ‘Butcher of Qana’ (another massacre in Lebanon which took place in 1996) in front of the camera’s. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the video below.

The struggle continues

Things being as they are, with OneWorld as a major positive factor, and Shakira as a disgusting opposite, it seems that the new trend of involvement of musical celebrities in the Palestinian struggle for human rights is far from over. Many international artists are slated to be targeted by human rights activists with appeals to cancel their Tel Aviv performances, and the admirable activists who engage in these petitions seem to be tireless and relentless in addressing all international artists who have plans to perform there.

It looks like they are definitely going to need that stamina: although there are clearly artists who have the courage to oppose zionist apartheid, there are also those who prefer to either ignore it, or even embrace it.