The American rapper Macklemore has announced the cancellation of his upcoming October concert in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), citing concerns over the country's alleged involvement in the ongoing conflict in Sudan, the BBC reports.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Macklemore explained that he had been urged for months to call off the show in solidarity with the Sudanese people and to boycott business in the UAE due to its reported role in the "ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis in the region."
The Grammy-winning artist specifically mentioned the UAE's alleged support for Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been engaged in a fierce battle against the Sudanese army. "Until the UAE stops arming and funding the RSF I will not perform there," Macklemore stated.
The conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced approximately 10 million people, according to the BBC. The UN-accredited Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reports that the war has led to the country's worst hunger levels on record.
While both sides have been accused of atrocities, the RSF faces allegations of genocide against the non-Arabic population in parts of the western region of Darfur, which it largely controls. The RSF has denied these accusations, instead blaming local militias.
Macklemore emphasized the urgency of the situation in Sudan, stating that it is "going largely unnoticed globally." He drew parallels to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, noting that the plight of the Palestinian people "has woken the world up."
The rapper, known for addressing social issues in his music, recently released a song titled "Hind's Hall" in tribute to Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza. He donated the song's proceeds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), an organization with proven ties to Hamas. His lyrics comment on the Pro-Palestinian demonstrations currently sweeping the US:
The problem isn't the protests / Block the barricade until Palestine is free / When I was seven, I learned a lesson from Cube and Eazy-E / What was it again? Oh yeah, f*ck the police
He also touches on many buzzwords while blasting Israel:
A state that's gotta rely on an apartheid system / To uphold an occupyin' violent / History been repeating for the last seventy-five / The Nakba never ended, the colonizer lied
HIND'S HALL. Once it's up on streaming all proceeds to UNRWA. pic.twitter.com/QqZEKmzwZI
— Macklemore (@macklemore) May 6, 2024
He clarified that his decision was not meant to judge other artists who perform in the UAE but rather to encourage his peers to consider using their platforms for collective liberation.
In June, the UAE denied accusations of fueling the conflict, dismissing them as "disinformation" and stating that their focus was on alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. This came in response to claims made by Sudan's ambassador to the UN, Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, who had accused the UAE of providing financial and military support to the RSF.
