Controversy Over Iranian Singers Performing in Saudi Arabia
Entertainment and Culture News Blog, Kodoom.com
Saudi Arabia is not known to easily issue visas to Iranians and now has even stopped issuing pilgrimage visas. But now according to Arab News, Saudi investors have invited seven exiled Iranian pop musicians (Shahram Shabpareh, Leila Forouhar, Ebrahim Hamedi, better known as Ebi, Sasy, Shadmehr Aghili, Andy and Arash Labaf) to perform at the Winter at Tantora Festival in March.
AlUla, the festival's host city, is described as the Kingdom’s archaeological and crosscultural jewel. But Iranian critics of the event, such as the anchor of the Los Angeles-based Persian Channel One TV (video link), believe it is Saudi Arabia's "in-your-face" political and cultural snubbery against Iranians and their culture while the same musicians are banned from performing in their homeland, Iran.
Interestingly, the performers, perhaps fearing popular fan outrage or future boycott by Iranians, have not listed the Saudi-hosted event on their official event calendars (for example on Andy or Ebi's official websites.
In the past, some Iranians had called for a boycott of any Iranian performer, such as Ebi Hamedi, who refrained from using "Persian Gulf" while performing in the Emirates or Saudi Arabia. For years, Arab countries refer to Persian Gulf as Arabian Gulf, drawing criticism from Iranians. Many Iranian performers refuse to use the Arabic title and have rejected lucrative contracts to perform in Arabic countries.
Iranian music fans are proud of their heritage and are quick to boycott performers not respecting that. In 2008, Iranian Canadian pop singers Kamran and Hooman, refrained from acknowledging their Persian roots in an English interview, but were forced to apologize to Iranian fans after losing a substantial portion of their fan base and income.
One of the performers in Saudi Arabia, Arash Labbaf, has a close relationship with Arab investors and recently appeared, with Ebi and exiled Iranian actress Mahnaz Afshar, as jurors in a Persian talent search on Arabic network MBC, funded by Saudi investors. The talent show, perhaps part of Saudi Arabia's cultural war against Iran, was criticized by renowned Iranian musician Hooman Khalatbari as insensitive to the plight of people inside Iran.
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