Jun 7, 2012

#BDS: Open Letter to Cirque du Soleil from QAYON in #Doha #Qatar

"Dear Renée-Claude Ménard,Date: 29 May 2012“Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral” ― Paulo Freire  


We were dismayed to learn that Cirque du Soleil is scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv this August, after first performing in Doha in July. Doha has a rich history in welcoming and advocating arts and cultural exchange, but the choice by Cirque du Soleil to perform in Israel is tantamount to condoning the policies of an apartheid state. As people of conscience we are writing to ask you to respect the Palestinian Civil Society Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)[1].  


Those that live under apartheid do not have the same privileges as their occupiers. They will not be able to attend your performance due to arbitrary checkpoints; a system of discriminatory permits based on ethnicity, religion and gender; and an illegal police and military occupation [2]. To profit from those that engender such violations with overwhelming impunity only adds insult to injury [3]. "


Read more

No comments:

Post a Comment