Spanish Reggae festival boots Jewish performer

[oberliner]

160. Matisyahu to Perform at Spanish Festival After All

The hip-hop artist Matisyahu has decided to perform at the Rototom Sunsplash reggae music festival in Spain following days of negotiations with organizers who had dropped him as part of an effort to boycott Israel.

Festival organizers announced August 15 they had canceled Matisyahu’s August 22 performance after he refused to sign a statement or make a video endorsing a Palestinian state. Days later, after outcries from the Jewish and international music communities, the organizers changed their tune and again invited him to perform.

“Today music wins,” Matisyahu said Friday on Facebook, while confirming that he will perform. “I have always believed in the power of music to unite all people, regardless of religion, politics or geography. This was an excruciating decision, as I felt that my core, essential being was being used as a pawn for political convenience. It is my deep conviction however that acceptance and the ability for rebirth allow us to move forward.”

http://www.newsweek.com/matisyahu-perform-spanish-festival-after-all-364934