EXCL: Afrobeats under attack Stars hit back as dozens of African artists blocked by Suella Braverman's Home Office by S_Fleary1
’s department stopped at least 20 artists from entering the UK to perform at Afrobeat festivals.
Ghanaian singer Ishmael Nii Arday Ankrah, known as Nii Funny, who had a visa application refused in 2021, told: “It is not fair for them to treat us that way because the UK is our former enslavers so if we are going there to play a show, I think they have to support us.”Mr Ankrah’s management team insists they “submitted all the right documents” but Home Office officials turned the application down after questioning why his UK-based sponsor had so much money when they were so young.
Christian Borquaye, who manages three prominent African artists and is based in Birmingham, said he personally knows at least 20 artists who have been refused visas and had “their money taken by the Home Office.” He says he knows of five African artists who have recently had their UK visa applications denied and, since the start of 2023, one artist has been prohibited from travelling to Britain.
He says it is no secret that “Afrobeats artists go through a lot of stress to acquire a visa to the UK” and believes applications from African artists are treated with more suspicion with their documents double-checked. In the UK, the rise of African music has directly resulted in the launch of the landmark official Afrobeats music chart.
West African singers say their applications for visas to come to the UK are being unreasonably scrutinised and they are required to submit endless amounts of proof that they are really recording artists – which they say is unfair and discriminatory. “It’s a really complicated process and system because every embassy has their rules, regulations and requirements about how artists can get visas and also work permits to be able to perform.”
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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