Rapper Macklemore canceled his October concert in Dubai on Saturday, citing the United Arab Emirates' involvement in the war in Sudan. The singer said the decision was born out of an impulse to “support the most marginalized around the world.”
The “Same Love” singer wrote that he came to the decision after “numerous conversations with organizers and trusted friends and my own personal reading/research,” and urged his fans to read a lengthy statement explaining his reasoning.
The power struggle between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into deadly chaos in April 2023, starting in the country's capital and spreading across the country since then. According to the International Rescue Committee, the conflict has killed at least 15,500 people, with some estimates as high as 150,000.
“The crisis in Sudan is catastrophic,” Macklemore wrote, citing a death toll of 150,000 and saying that “over ten million people have been displaced, millions face imminent famine [and] sexual violence is widespread.”
“While numerous external forces are contributing to this crisis, supporters, organizers, journalists and officials repeatedly highlight the UAE’s role in funding the RSF militia as a major factor,” he continued.
The singer acknowledged the “shrug” with which many around the world have addressed the conflict — “What difference can we individually make anyway?” he wrote as an example — but pushed back: “We have been intentionally conditioned to be apathetic about matters outside of our own personal needs.”
“The plight of the Palestinian people has awakened the world,” he continued. “We have seen millions of people around the world protesting, university camps, and information being spread through social media that has not only documented the last 10 months of genocide, but also the last 76 years of ethnic cleansing and occupation in Palestine.”
In May, Macklemore released “Hind’s Hall,” a pro-Palestine song that praises college protesters and criticizes President Biden’s response to the crisis.
“At the end of the day I have to ask myself what is my intention as an artist?” Macklemore continued on Saturday. “Over the past 10 months I have learned what factors/motivators fuel genocide and global systemic oppression. I continue to be brought back to self-interest vs. collective interest at the root. Capitalism is the glue that holds this ideology together. And if I take the money, knowing it doesn’t fit my spirit, how am I any different from the politicians I have actively protested? How can I be outraged by their lack of integrity while compromising my own? How am I any different from the countries that put dollars and power above human life?”
Her statement concluded with a message of collective power. “While the dismantling of systemic oppression may not happen completely in my lifetime, our collective analysis is evolving,” she wrote. “That’s where it begins. When we realize that our individual liberation IS Palestinian liberation. IS Sudanese liberation. IS Congolese liberation. We are called in this moment to support the most marginalized around the world. To set aside our luxury and abundance in the collective pursuit of freedom and security for all. What are we willing to risk to eradicate systems that rely on genocide for monetary gain?”