Writers’ Week controversy contagion spreads as music program headliner drops out
A headliner of Adelaide Festival’s music program has withdrawn in the wake of the festival board’s decision to axe a Palestinian author from Writers’ Week as the controversy spreads further.
American producer DJ Haram said she would not be performing at Adelaide Festival after the festival’s board axed Palestinian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from the Writers’ Week lineup yesterday.
In a post on Instagram, the producer said to “kick off Randa from literary programming and keep me on musical program is a disgusting ask for me to culture wash their heinous decision to stand against Palestinians”.
“I’m not going to play Adelaide Festival.”
New York-based DJ Haram was set to headline day two of Adelaide Festival’s new experimental music program called Tryp in February.
She would have played at Hindley Street nightclub Divide, alongside Australian producer SOVBLKPSSY and Adelaide DJs Skorpion King, Mr. John and club collective H34VEN0N34RTH.
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Her withdrawal from Tryp means the fallout from the controversial decision of the Adelaide Festival board to axe Dr Abel-Fattah from Writers’ Week has spread beyond the literary component of the major event.
Prominent authors, including international writers Zadie Smith, M. Gessen and Yanis Varoufakis, have joined a list of more than 30 withdrawing their support.
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Author and high-profile journalist Peter Greste, a media freedom advocate known for being imprisoned in Egypt for 400 days, has also withdrawn.
Others withdrawing in protest include two-time Miles Franklin award winner Michelle de Kretser, Stellar Prize-winning poet Evelyn Araluen, Miles Franklin and Walkley award-winning writer Melissa Lucashenko.
Professor Clare Wright, Jane Caro, Hannah Ferguson, Amy Remeikis, Walter Marsh, Chelsea Watego, and Bernadette Brennan are also among those boycotting the festival.
Bri Lee and Hannah Kent both released statements saying they would withdraw unless Adelaide Writers’ Week reverses its decision and allows Abdel-Fattah to participate.
Premier Peter Malinauskas yesterday threw his support behind the board’s decision, saying under legislation he was prevented from directing the board, but “when asked for my opinion, I was happy to make it clear that the state government did not support the inclusion of Dr Abdel-Fattah on the Adelaide Writers’ Week program”.
Adelaide Festival was contacted for comment.
*Editor’s Note: The chair of the Adelaide Festival Tracey Whiting AM is also a director of Solstice Media, publisher of InDaily.
