Macklemore has cancelled his October show in Dubai, scheduled for 4 October.
The US rapper explained that the move was in protest over the United Arab Emirates’ support for Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a warring party in the country’s civil war.
“The current situation in Sudan is urgent, horrific and it’s going largely unnoticed globally. I’m following the lead of Sudanese organisers and activists who are trying to be heard,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
“Until the UAE stops arming and funding the RSF I will not perform there.”
The UAE denies the allegations although United Nations experts have said they are credible.
The war in Sudan began in April 2023 when competition between the army and the RSF, who had previously shared power after staging a coup, flared into open warfare.
Peace talks have not eased the fighting, and it’s estimated that half of Sudan’s 50 million people don’t have enough to eat.
Macklemore’s decision to cancel an engagement because of the country’s politics is a rare one.
The Grammy-winning artist said he has been forced to reconsider how he earns money, and his ability to use his artistic platform for activism.
“If I take the money, while knowing it doesn’t sit right with my spirit, how am I any different than the politicians I’ve been actively protesting against?” he wrote, urging other artists scheduled to play in Dubai to reconsider.
