"See below for two Open Letters concerning Riverdance’s planned tour of Israel in September 2011. The first is from Irish artist Robert Ballagh who was the set designer for Riverdance, and the second is from Raymond Deane, Cultural Boycott Officer of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Riverdance in Irsael: Robert Ballagh’s Open Letter
26th April 2011
As the designer of Riverdance I am personally disappointed to learn of the decision to perform the show in Israel at this time.
Many years ago I was honoured to meet Nelson Mandela when he was in Ireland. I took the opportunity to ask his opinion on the cultural and sporting boycott of South Africa. He replied by saying that the boycott was an essential weapon in the struggle against apartheid. His forceful words came back to me last year when I, along with many other Irish creative and performing artists, signed a cultural boycott pledge not to visit Israel (www.ipsc.ie/pledge). This was a positive response to the call by Palestinian film-makers, artists and cultural organisations for a cultural boycott of Israel. I believe that this non-violent cultural boycott will contribute to the struggle for justice for the Palestinian people."
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