Rototom Sunsplash
The Rototom Sunsplash is a European reggae festival. It takes place annually at the beginning of July (until 2009) or mid-August (since 2010) and usually lasts seven to ten days. Until 2009 it was held in the Parco del Rivellino near Osoppo in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia , and since 2010 it has been at home in Benicàssim, Spain .
history
Held for the first time in 1994, around 100 artists, well-known international greats of reggae as well as newcomer bands and sound systems, now play at the festival . Musical alternatives are offered by Free and Roots Yards, an “Original Ska & Rocksteady” area, the Dubstation and a Dubplate studio. The number of visitors increased from 130,000 in 2005 to 230,000 in 2011, making it the world's largest reggae festival.
The festival is named after the model of the Jamaican reggae Sunsplash and therefore also lasts every night until dawn. Rototom alludes to the characteristic sound of the toms that could be heard on many reggae recordings when the festival was launched and initially only attracted a few hundred reggae friends.
It sees itself as a political festival and as pro-Palestinian.
criticism
The Berliner Zeitung criticized that, apart from the music program, the festival offered a sometimes questionable cultural program with a “crude mixture of enthusiasm for Africa, anti-imperialism and esotericism”. In the context of the “Social Forum”, for example, a discussion about the endangerment of humanity from chemtrails is listed. In the context of the controversy surrounding the discharge of the singer Matisyahu, Jungle World also criticized the fact that "at the great festival for human rights", the homophobic texts including the appeals for murder by Capleton did not seem out of place.
Matisyahu controversy in 2015
In August 2015 the festival came under international criticism for the cancellation of a performance by the Jewish-American reggae / hip-hop musician Matisyahu in connection with the international anti-Israel campaign Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) . Under pressure from the local BDS group, which threatened to boycott the festival and were able to recruit a few musicians, Matisyahu was supposed to make a pro-Palestinian declaration and was discharged after his refusal. No such explanation was requested from other musicians. The President of the World Jewish Congress , Ronald S. Lauder , described the cancellation as "a clear case of anti-Semitism ". The Spanish daily El País called the process on page one a "serious act of political and religious discrimination". Matisyahu wrote that it was appalling and intrusive that attempts were made to force him to make a political statement. His goal is to "make music for everyone - regardless of race, belief, regardless of country, cultural background." After massive criticism, the organizers finally apologized and renewed the invitation, whereupon artists and political groups occasionally gave theirs Canceled participation. The concert finally took place as originally planned.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Log In - The New York Times. In: nytimes.com. Retrieved August 21, 2015 .
- ↑ Central Council of Jews in Germany Kdö.R: According to Matisyahu's unloading: "I want to make music for everyone" - Jüdische Allgemeine. In: juedische-allgemeine.de. August 21, 2015, accessed August 21, 2015 .
- ↑ Philipp Idel: Rototom Sunsplash Festival: Jewish musician Matisyahu invited again. In: berliner-zeitung.de. August 19, 2015, accessed August 20, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Clowns in an uproar. In: jungle-world.com. August 27, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Now apologize to Matisyahu. In: welt.de . August 19, 2015, accessed August 20, 2015 .
- ↑ Jewish musician unloaded from festival in Benicàssim , NZZ , August 18, 2015.
- ↑ Martin Dahms: Matisyahu: The entry, exit, invitation. In: Frankfurter Rundschau from August 20, 2015
- ↑ “I want to make music for everyone” , article in the Jüdischen Allgemeine from August 18, 2015, accessed on August 18, 2015
- ↑ Music: Much applause and little whistle for Matisyahu. In: Focus Online . August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015 .