Nancy Ajram stepped down from performing in MDLBEAST on its third and final night in Riyadh to mourn the late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah- may his soul rest in peace. And whether that’s the right or wrong decision for her as an artist -it’s an ethical one, right? And here comes the lingering question and the elephant in the room ever since this news came out; so, you could’ve apologized, canceled, and not participated in shows and festivals after all?
Amidst the recent tragedies happening in Palestine, artists kept preaching about how this is their job and way of making a living that had to keep going- hence, we saw Nancy performing at and attending Abu Dhabi Harmony, Red Sea Film Festival, and Riyadh Season. Their point was and still has some validity in it- and not to take away or divert from the mourning of the Amir, this time, it is about something else. It’s about the double standards or, most importantly, the existence of space and the possibility of canceling a show -unlike what they’ve been issuing to the public.
Even Kuwaitis themselves heavily criticized Nancy for this action, questioning why that didn’t happen previously in solidarity with the Palestinian children and martyrs. They even expressed how her condolences don’t feel sincere as it’s very much contradicting to her not-so-past and recent actions towards her work and the ongoing genocide. Artists have work commitments, but ethical duties and social responsibilities also matter -just as much, if not more. And at the end of the day, it turns out that they do have the ability and space to cancel shows. So, since you could’ve done that all along, why didn’t it happen before?
What do you think about this action and people’s reaction to it? Share your thoughts!
