Organisers of the country's biggest world music festival were forced to make last minute cancellations yesterday after trey musicians in their line up were ineffectual to obtain visas to play at Womad.
Another two performers � including a headlining star from Nigeria � were struggling to gain entry into Britain for the weekend festival which attracts more than four-spot million viewers. Womad is the in style of a succession of events that have been affected by tougher visa rules.
Seun Kuti, the word of the Nigerian caption, Fela Kuti, who was to play with his father's politically-charged Afrobeat band, Egypt 80, was fighting to derive an artist's visa in the hope of performing on Sunday. He was among the headlining acts listed on Womad's web site, along with Eddy Grant and Martha Wainwright.
TeraKraft, an electric guitar collective from Mali, are also lining the possibility of missing their performance tonight. Meanwhile, Kasai Allstars, a Congolese band wHO have performed all over the world, did non gain a temporary work out visa from the Home Office, along with the Pakistani Sufi master, Asif Ali Khan, a prot�g� of the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and a powerful figure on the outside music stagecoach who is often referred to as Pakistan's melodious prince.
A statement from Womad added that Kasai Allstars get been forced to "cancel their whole European tour of duty as they couldn't get the visas they needed."
An Indian troupe, the Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan, were also unable to go into the res publica to execute at the three-day festival.
A spokesman for the organisers said it was an increasingly shop at problem each year, with musicians being denied performances in this country due to "red tape". "Organisers have noticed it's getting harder and harder with more performers in trouble over visas each year, having to go through a lengthier process each time.
"Three of the performers have got not got visas for whatever rationality but it has goose egg to do with the band as far as I know. These trey acts are hoping to play at next year's festival just the fact that deuce acts ar fighting to get visas on the day the festival begins makes things very difficult," he said.
Many devotees of world medicine will cause bought their �150 weekend tickets to the festival, starting today, expecting to see the billed performers who have since faced visa difficulties.
Jason Walsh, who runs Musicians Incorporated, a engagement agency for many African artists including Seun Kuti's brother, Femi Kuti, aforementioned that, while visa regulations were ever-changing, they static presented enormous difficulties for many African acts. "We have tremendous problems getting artists over here from the likes of Mali as in that respect is no British embassy there and we make to flee the intact band � sometimes as many as 20 people � to Senegal, where they may have to wait for days for their visas.
"This is so financially prohibitive that I can't visualize why there isn't a deal where artists from these Francophile countries bathroom go through this swear out at a French embassy.
"We are working towards greater cultural diversification and exposure to each other's cultural heritage and it's a great shame that these performers can't be seen by mass who would otherwise never be able to see such acts. Where else could you see them perform?" he said.
A Home Office spokeswoman refused to comment on the Womad cases simply added that each case was "assessed on its individual merits".
Meanwhile, Eddy Grant, who is scheduled to play at the fete after a 25-year calling break, has said of Womad that: "It is still around real mass from all over the world sexual climax together to play real music."
Visa requirements
Womad is one of the country's many "put to work permit-free" music festivals, but performers at these events still need to meet certain immigration requirements. As well as complying with immigration rules that use to all visitors, they need to provide a genuine invitation from the organisers; evidence they will be self-financed during their time hither and cogent evidence they tin pay for their travel home.
More info
