A statement from the Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) about the boycott of the Bushfire Festival in Swaziland and the cultural boycott in general. It says the boycott is still on.
13 May 2011
The Cultural Boycott Must Continue!
The SDC in Swaziland has been engaged over the last few days in discussions with those responsible for the Bushfire Festival. We acknowledge that the organisers of Bushfire made a genuine attempt to listen to our concerns. We hope to be able to continue to engage with
Bushfire to influence both the content and location of future festivals.
Following consultation and engagement with a very wide range of organisations that make up the democratic movement inside Swaziland, we acknowledge that the call for a cultural boycott has deep historic roots and remains as relevant today as it ever was. This call was
endorsed by forty seven civil society organisations that met in 2010, and is a position supported by the SDC as a whole.
It is in respect of this fine tradition that we now acknowledge that there was a lack of clarity in our earlier statements. We are proud of being part of the tolerant and non-sectarian tradition that has allowed us to clarify our collective position. The cultural boycott
must continue! This is necessary in ensuring that we continue to isolate the Swazi regime.
We hope those individuals who have attempted to misrepresent and distort the truth for their own narrow interests, and who continue to vilify individuals in the process, learn to respect and consult the Swazi people and their organisations with respect.
We wish to acknowledge COSATU, the ANCYL and others who have given honest and respectful feedback.
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