Bush Fire Festival Low Turnout Demonstrates Gaining Momentum for the Cultural Boycott of Swaziland!

The Swaziland Democracy Campaign is encouraged that the cultural boycott of Swaziland is gaining momentum and finding resonance from every nook and cranny of this continent.

This was decisively demonstrated through the low turnout at this year’s Bush Fire Festival, despite false claims by the Swazi Times to the contrary. All of this thanks to the many artists who chose to heed our call to boycott cultural activities in Swaziland!

We are specifically thankful to the renowned spinner and award winning DJ, Black Coffee, as well as Caiphus Semenya. They have lived true to the call by the people of Swaziland to boycott all cultural activities and shunned the ongoing Bush Fire Festival. The SDC is proud that we have engaged Swazi artists with a view of strengthening the cultural boycott. This engagement will continue. We are humbled that the cultural boycott is to get more biting. We will not let down until everyone realises that there is a need for political change in Swaziland.

This call is made by the ordinary people of Swaziland and have sought assistance from the peace and democracy loving people of the world. We are therefore humbled that South African artists have shown the way and refused to let monetary benefit override the moral justification of the boycott. We encourage other artists to do the same and shun the country so that we can draw attention to the despotic rule of King Mswati and ultimately raise the profile of the Swaziland democracy struggle.

To show just how undemocratic and repressive the Swazi government is, we would like to draw to the attention of South African artists the story of David Kau who was recently invited to perform in Swaziland and was threatened with high treason if he ever makes a joke about the monarchy. That Kau is a renowned comedian who makes fun of political leaders and celebrities as a form of making life much lighter and interesting, the Swaziland government decided to sternly warm him of impending arrest should he make any jokes about the king.
We say this is a clear demonstration that South African artists should indeed boycott Swaziland because this government has become unpredictable and despicable.

We therefore say the struggle continues and victory is certain!!!!
For more information please contact:

Philani Ndebele (+27769423565 philani@asc.org.za) - SDC, South Africa
Mary Pais De Silva (+26876030076 mpsdasilva@gmail.com - SDC, Swaziland

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Website www.swazidemocracy.org
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Joel Afolabi Odigie
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa)
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email: Joel.Odigie@ituc-africa.org
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Lome, Togo
Moto: Life can always get better. Stop agonising, Start Organising. Mobilise for change!