"I don't take this decision lightly and think it's important to explain why," he said in a message that was posted on social media.
Due to the United Arab Emirates' alleged backing of the paramilitary group that has been battling government soldiers in Sudan, Macklemore has decided to postpone a forthcoming concert that was scheduled to take place in Dubai in October. He stated that this decision was made because of the UAE's participation "in the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis" in Sudan.
Macklemore's revelation brought the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) involvement in the conflict that is engulfing the African nation back into the spotlight. Despite the fact that the United Arab Emirates has consistently denied providing the Rapid backing Forces with weapons and providing backing to its leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, experts from the United Nations concluded in January that there was "credible" evidence that the Emirates transferred weaponry to the RSF from northern Chad on multiple occasions each week.
Middle of April 2023 was the moment when long-simmering tensions between the leaders of Sudan's military and paramilitary forces broke out in Khartoum, the capital of the country, and extended to other regions, notably Darfur. This event caused Sudan to descend into anarchy. According to estimates, more than 18,800 people have been murdered as a result of the fighting, and more than 10 million people have successfully escaped their homes. There is a threat of starvation for hundreds of thousands of people.
An beleaguered administration in Sudan made a direct accusation against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of equipping the Royal Sudanese Forces (RSF) during a tense meeting of the United Nations Security Council in June. An Emirati ambassador furiously warned his colleague to quit "grandstanding." The United Arab Emirates has been participating in continuing peace discussions with the goal of putting a stop to the war.
The Emirati Foreign Ministry made no immediate response on Macklemore’s public remark Sunday, nor did the city-state’s Dubai Media Office. Organizers this week claimed the performance had been canceled and refunds would be paid, without citing an explanation for the cancelation.
In a statement Saturday on Instagram, Grammy winner Macklemore claimed he had a series of individuals “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.”
Macklemore stated he reconsidered the event in part over his recent, vocal support of Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip. He lately has been singing a song called “Hind’s Hall,” in commemoration of a little girl named Hind Rajab slain in Gaza in a killing Palestinians have blamed on Israeli soldiers opening fire on a civilian car. You may also read this; Patti LaBelle & Common to Perform at DNC on Night 2
“I know that this will probably jeopardize my future shows in the area, and I truly hate letting any of my fans down,” he added. “I was really excited too. But until the UAE stops arming and sponsoring the RSF I will not perform there.”
He added: “I have no judgment against other artists performing in the UAE. But I do raise the question to my peers booked to play in Dubai: If we used our positions to promote collective emancipation, what might we accomplish?”
The RSF grew out of the Janjaweed warriors under then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who governed the nation for three decades before being deposed after a popular revolt in 2019. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court on allegations of genocide and other crimes during the crisis in Darfur in the 2000s.
Dubai, home to the long-haul airline Emirates, the world’s tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa, and other tourist spots, long has attempted to pull A-list musicians in the city-state at a brand-new stadium and other venues. However, performers in the past have noted the difficulty of performing in the UAE, a hereditarily administered federation of seven sheikhdoms in which speech is rigorously restricted.
That includes comedian Dave Chappelle, who gained notice in May in Abu Dhabi when he referred to the Israel-Hamas war as a “genocide” while simultaneously joking about the UAE’s extensive surveillance infrastructure.
Macklemore, a 41-year-old rapper born Benjamin Hammond Haggerty in Kent, Washington, received Grammy honors in 2014 for his breakout single, “Thrift Shop.”
