M.I.A’s controversial Afropunk appearance has been cancelled

AFROPUNK London festival – preparing for its first edition later this year – has confirmed that headliner M.I.A will no longer be appearing.

She was announced to headline the festival last month, but the news was challenged by fans who objected to comments about the Black Lives Matter movement. Speaking to the Evening Standard magazine in April, M.I.A said: “It’s interesting that in America the problem you’re allowed to talk about is Black Lives Matter. It’s not a new thing to me — it’s what Lauryn Hill was saying in the 1990s, or Public Enemy in the 1980s. Is Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar going to say Muslim Lives Matter? Or Syrian Lives Matter? Or this kid in Pakistan matters? That’s a more interesting question.”

After defending her comments in the first instance, saying that the debate was “healthy”, AFROPUNK have now backtracked and confirmed that M.I.A won’t be appearing. The festival is set to announce a replacement, along with a new string of artists, next week (19th July).

M.I.A last week confirmed the release date for her long-awaited fifth LP and shared a new, Skrillex-and-Blaqstarr-produced single ‘Go Off’.

Read the full statement from AFROPUNK organiser’s below:

“AFROPUNK has always stood side by side with the thousands of people globally who are involved with our events each year, from the fans attending an AFROPUNK showcase for the first time, to the headline artists playing for capacity crowds on our main festival stages.
A key part of the AFROPUNK ethos has always been educating one another, breaking down boundaries and sparking conversation about race, gender, religion, sex, culture and everything that makes life worth living. This exchange has meant receiving wisdom, as well as imparting it in the most respectful way possible, with the participation of our entire community of fans, creators and artists. This community is something we are incredibly proud of, and this community will always be a priority for us.

We are excited and honored to do our first AFROPUNK Festival in London and want to do it right. After discussing the situation with the artist and the community, a decision was agreed upon by all involved that M.I.A will no longer headline AFROPUNK London.
AFROPUNK will be releasing a new headliner and the second wave of artists on July 19th.”