American rapper and record producer Macklemore has canceled his forthcoming October in Dubai over UAE’s reported role in the genocide and humanitarian crises of Sudan.
The singer announced the show’s cancelation through a statement on his official Instagram platform.
This comes after human rights activists and concerned persons appealed to him to cancel the concert over UAE’s role in the ongoing war in the African nation.
The announcement by Macklemore reignited attention to the UAE’s role in the war gripping the African nation. While the UAE repeatedly has denied arming the Rapid Support Forces and supporting its leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, United Nations experts reported “credible” evidence in January that the Emirates sent weapons to the RSF several times a week from northern Chad.
The Military and paramilitary in the country sent the country into chaos when long-standing tensions between them broke out in mid-April of 2023 in the country’s capital Khartoum, spreading to other regions. Estimates suggest over 18,800 people have been killed in the fighting, while over 10 million have fled their homes. Hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine.
According to the singer in his statement, he had people “asking me to cancel the show in solidarity with the people of Sudan and to boycott doing business in the UAE for the role they are playing in the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis.”
“I know that this will probably jeopardize my future shows in the area, and I truly hate letting any of my fans down,” he wrote. “I was really excited too. But until the UAE stops arming and funding the RSF I will not perform there.” part of the statement read.
He added: “I have no judgment against other artists performing in the UAE. But I do ask the question to my peers scheduled to play in Dubai: If we used our platforms to mobilize collective liberation, what could we accomplish?”
