We've heard of Rohinton Mistry's cancellation of his US book tour: <http://news.bookweb.org/news/921.html>. Now, this just in from Marxmail, courtesy of Louis Proyect:
***** YOUSSOU N'DOUR HEAD OFFICE Route des Almadies, Parcelle No. 8 - Zone 11 - CPTE 63 DAKAR (+221) 865-1039 TEL (+221) 865-1068 FAX
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 7, 2003
Youssou N'Dour Cancels US Tour Over Threat of War
Youssou N'Dour, the acclaimed Senegalese singer and bandleader and UNICEF Ambassador, has announced the cancellation of his seven-week tour of North America, originally scheduled for March 26-May 15. The 38-city tour was to be the most extensive series of performances in North America in his career.
Youssou N'Dour says, "It is my strong conviction that the responsibility for disarming Iraq should rest with the United Nations. As a matter of conscience I question the United States government's apparent intention to commence war in Iraq. I believe that coming to America at this time would be perceived in many parts of the world - rightly or wrongly - as support for this policy, and that, as a consequence, it is inappropriate to perform in the US at this juncture."
"I understand that there are many in the US who do not support the idea of their government initiating war in Iraq at this time, and I offer my greatest respect to them. I also regret the difficulties this causes those who were to present my concerts in North America and those who were looking forward to seeing me and my band. This tour was over a year and a half in the planning and was the greatest commitment I had ever made to performing in the US."
"It is my fervent wish to return to the US in better times. But I find it impossible to imagine playing concerts in America when such grave issues are confronting all the peoples of the world."
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: info at africanhypertext.com *****
It would be symbolically powerful if artists and scientists of the world began to boycott the USA until the USG backed down on Iraq. -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osudivest.org/> * Al-Awda-Ohio: <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-Ohio> * Solidarity: <http://solidarity.igc.org/>