Calls grow for Johnny Clegg not to play Saharan ‘Sun City’
Johnny Clegg - Don't play Dakhla | 23.02.2011 15:07
The decision of South African musican and one-time anti-apartheid campaigner Johnny Clegg to play a concert in occupied Western Sahara has caused surprise and outrage around the world.
In a heartfelt letter to Johnny Clegg a young Saharawi has appealed to South African singer Johnny Clegg, not to perform at a music festival in occupied Western Sahara this weekend. Khalil Asmar from Layoune who describes himself as “a Saharawi living under the oppressive Moroccan occupation” wrote ask Mr Clegg to reconsider his decision to play at the Dakhla music festival and to inform him that Morocco’s 36 year occupation of his native land has not been recognised by a single country and is in breach of the UN Charter and international law. “Western Sahara is a full member of the African Union and recognised by over 80 country across the world among which is South Africa” he wrote.
When the name of Johnny Clegg first appeared on the programme for the festival which takes place this week in the coast town of Dakhla, campaigners first thought that Mr Clegg had confused this festival with the FiSahara Film Festival. FiSahara takes place in Dakhla refugee camp which houses 30,000 refugees deep in the Algerian desert. The FiSahara festival helps raise awareness of the Africa’s last colony and has been running for 8 years attracting an internationally acclaimed actors and musicians including Javier Bardem and Manu Chao. South Africa has always offered support for Western Sahara’s right to self-determination and at last years FiSahara Festival Kaya Somgqeza, chargé d'affaires at the South African embassy in Algiers, brought a message of support from Jacob Zuma and told the crowd: "We cannot regard the continent of Africa as free until Western Sahara is liberated."
It is easy to see how the former political activist could have mixed the two festivals up. However, after repeated attempts to contact Mr Clegg through his agents in South Africa and the US, received no response campaigners and Mr Asmar have assumed that Mr Clegg is aware of the political and humanitarian issues involved in playing at the festival but has decided to do it anyway.
“I'm sorry to inform you that you are being used by an occupier, a horrible force for political propaganda, and thus, I invite you to reconsider your decision in accordance with your true principals that we have always been proud of” wrote Mr Asmar to Mr Clegg whose decision to play in occupied Western Sahara has been compared to that of artists who chose to play Sun City during the height of apartheid in South Africa.
See
http://www.dajla.org/2011/02/boycott-johnny-clegg/
When the name of Johnny Clegg first appeared on the programme for the festival which takes place this week in the coast town of Dakhla, campaigners first thought that Mr Clegg had confused this festival with the FiSahara Film Festival. FiSahara takes place in Dakhla refugee camp which houses 30,000 refugees deep in the Algerian desert. The FiSahara festival helps raise awareness of the Africa’s last colony and has been running for 8 years attracting an internationally acclaimed actors and musicians including Javier Bardem and Manu Chao. South Africa has always offered support for Western Sahara’s right to self-determination and at last years FiSahara Festival Kaya Somgqeza, chargé d'affaires at the South African embassy in Algiers, brought a message of support from Jacob Zuma and told the crowd: "We cannot regard the continent of Africa as free until Western Sahara is liberated."
It is easy to see how the former political activist could have mixed the two festivals up. However, after repeated attempts to contact Mr Clegg through his agents in South Africa and the US, received no response campaigners and Mr Asmar have assumed that Mr Clegg is aware of the political and humanitarian issues involved in playing at the festival but has decided to do it anyway.
“I'm sorry to inform you that you are being used by an occupier, a horrible force for political propaganda, and thus, I invite you to reconsider your decision in accordance with your true principals that we have always been proud of” wrote Mr Asmar to Mr Clegg whose decision to play in occupied Western Sahara has been compared to that of artists who chose to play Sun City during the height of apartheid in South Africa.
See
http://www.dajla.org/2011/02/boycott-johnny-clegg/
Johnny Clegg - Don't play Dakhla