This update was coming, it has to be said. On Friday it was announced:
“Following a joint decision by AFROPUNK and Burna Boy, we regret to announce that Burna Boy will no longer be part of the festival’s Joburg 2019 edition at Constitution Hill from 30 to 31 December.
We’re dedicated to working with Burna Boy and his team for his return to South Africa when the climate is right. We are deeply committed to providing music lovers and fans a safe space for all to express themselves. We are grateful to South Africa, our community, and to the many wonderful artists who will be with us on the 30th and 31st of December, and to the friends and colleagues that have made AFROPUNK Joburg 2019 possible.”
AFROPUNK organizers were keen to point out that the rest of the lineup would remain unchanged (We hope!) but the news of Burna’s exclusion was enough to have his fans in their feels.
A number of disappointed tweeps took to the timeline to vent their frustrations by writing:
This is the second time in as many months that Burna Boy has pulled out of performing at South African shows. The African Giant was billed to perform at the Africans Unite festival, before strong backlash forced organizers to change their minds about his inclusion on the lineup. It seems as if the same pressure caused AFROPUNK organisers to reconsider his inclusion.
Are you disappointed that Burna Boy won’t be performing anymore?
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