Earlier this month, M.I.A. was announced as a headliner for the first ever UK edition of festival Afropunk.
Then she appeared to pull out, following a backlash resulting from comments she made to ES Magazine back in April about the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Is Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar going to say Muslim Lives Matter?” she asked. “Or Syrian Lives Matter? Or this kid in Pakistan matters? That’s a more interesting question.”
Then she appeared to pull out, following a backlash resulting from comments she made to ES Magazine back in April about the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Is Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar going to say Muslim Lives Matter?” she asked. “Or Syrian Lives Matter? Or this kid in Pakistan matters? That’s a more interesting question.”
Sorry I’m not doin Afropunk. I’ve been told to stay in my lane. Ha there is no lane for 65mil refugees who’s lanes are blown up! #nolanes
— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) June 20, 2016
But now it looks as though she’s back in, with the festival releasing a statement to say M.I.A. will “still perform”, and “the fact that M.I.A.’s comments sparked dialogue about global view of the Black struggle is not a failing.”
Read the full message below.
A message about AFROPUNK LONDON pic.twitter.com/Tg4YqAzMmY
— AFROPUNK (@afropunk) June 23, 2016
