The plague of venues canceling my gigs at the last minute -- or at least trying to -- continues. To the list that previously consisted of the US, England, Germany, and Australia, we may now add Canada.
Since last October I've had venue owners cancel concerts that were happening in their venues, on a very last-minute basis, in England, Australia, and now in Canada as well. Most of the time -- including this time -- alternative venues were found by the local organizers, after much effort, and the gigs have gone ahead.
But any time there's a venue where the person or people who own or run it feel inclined to cancel an event at the very last minute that's been scheduled to happen there for months, this is a very problematic thing, for all kinds of reasons, for all kinds of people involved.
If a traveling performer playing in small venues for crowds that only occasionally achieve attendance in the triple digits having his gig canceled might ever be a story deemed worthy to cover by local media anywhere in the English-speaking world, how might they cover this cancellation effort?
Let's pretend.
If this hypothetical media outlet wanted to give some context, they might begin with the global realities that situate us all here: a state with close relations to Canada is currently engaged in the act of trying to kill two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip through a campaign of constant bombing of everything and everyone, combined with an imposed famine, and with the people prevented from accessing clean water, or any water at all much of the time, imposed disease as well.
They might mention the historic vote at the UN a few days ago, when representatives of 124 countries voted in favor of a Palestinian initiative requiring that Israel withdraw from the Occupied Territories of Gaza and the West Bank. 14 countries voted against -- the US and an assortment of either tiny Pacific colonies, or countries currently run by particularly rightwing types, like Hungary and Argentina. Many European countries voted along with the majority, but many others abstained, along with Australia and Canada.
If there were press to cover a little venue cancellation of a traveling musician coming to BC from Portland, Oregon, and if they wanted to contextualize this particular musician and his history of trips to Canada, they could list some of the different events he's sung at since the 1990's for various Canadian labor unions, including protest rallies and conferences. They could mention his long history of singing for antiwar groups, folk clubs, and folk festivals in Canada.
They might mention my long association with Palestine solidarity groups in Canada, and the Palestinian community there. They could tell their readers of the time I was banned from entering the country for a year, which local Palestinians were suspicious about, since the ban meant I couldn't cross the border to receive the award they were planning to give me.
Given that various press outlets are apt to find reason now and then to mention the wonderful history of Paul Robeson's concert for Canadians in the park in Blaine, Washington, during the years when he was barred from leaving the US, they might take the occasion to mention the concert activists in BC organized in the same park in Blaine, during the year when I wasn't allowed into Canada, when I gave a concert for Canadians assembled there in the park -- hundreds of them, despite the pouring rain. I finally got to receive that award from the Vancouver Palestinian community center, as well (though you won't find any story about this in the press, since no press was there).
If the press outlets covering such events then wanted to put the whole story into the local context of the lovely city of Victoria, on Vancouver Island, they could mention that on the other side of the Salish Sea within which Vancouver Island is to be found, in Seattle, a young woman named Aysenur grew up, and on September 6th, 2024, an Israeli sniper shot her dead, for attending a peaceful protest.
They could mention the song about her that's circulating online, even, and connect this relevant local region news to this songwriter's upcoming, approximately annual visit to Victoria.
They could mention that this particular performer not only has a long history of singing for the Canadian labor movement, but a long history of singing for labor in many countries. They could mention that epic festival the labor movement organized in Winnipeg to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike that he sang at, along with some legendary Canadian musicians. They might note the song about slain Vancouver Island union leader, Ginger Goodwin. Or the one about Chelsea Poorman, whose body was found decomposing behind a Vancouver mansion last year.
In Victoria, they might mention that he's performed many, many times at this particular union hall, doing concerts hosted by Victoria Friends of Cuba.
Unlike the United States, with its longstanding embargo against Cuba, Canada has never broken relations with Cuba. They might mention that this performer has also been to Cuba once, and went there via Toronto, in Canada. They might even mention that he's done tours in Lebanon, Israel, and the Occupied West Bank.
They might then question the motives of the local union leaders who so unceremoniously decided to cancel this event one week before it was scheduled to happen, although this performer and this sponsoring group had done events at this union hall on so many previous occasions. What had changed?
Although all the publicity materials clearly indicated the host of the event was Victoria Friends of Cuba, the union leaders apparently suddenly didn't want to be associated with an event that said anything about Palestine on the posters, to the point where they wanted to just pull the plug on the event. Inquisitive reporters might inquire, had someone contacted them about it? Who was it?
If this local press outlet were to ask the artist whose local gig was being canceled what he thought about the whole thing, they might take out their phones to record the following statement:
As someone from New York of very intimate Jewish lineage, I understand very well that everything having to do with Israel and Palestine is very controversial, divisive, hot potato material. Perhaps the motivation of local union officials to cancel such an event is much like the Canadian government's motivation to abstain from this recent vote in the General Assembly -- let's just stay neutral, and hope not to offend anyone.
As a huge supporter of organized labor, I deeply understand the desire to avoid taking any unnecessary positions on such controversial issues. I'd rather not have to be distracted by things happening so far away, either. There's a desperate housing crisis happening all over North America, as we all know too well, not to mention massive forest fires, terrible floods, and so many other urgent problems so many of us face right now, right here.
Sometimes, though, positions must be taken on things like genocide. And even if a group doesn't want to go out on a limb and call a genocidal war waged against an entire population what it is, even without taking a public position on that, it is another clear step in a terrible direction to actually go and cancel an event another group is organizing, and to do so at the last minute, out of a fear of being associated with the event in any way. This is not being neutral, this is taking a position, and sadly, a very troubling one.
Yours for the One Big Union,
David Rovics
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