Tibet! Tibet!
by Jura Watchmaker, 4 March 2008
Popular singer Björk Guðmundsdóttir is reported to have caused a bit of a rumpus in China after she cried “Tibet! Tibet!” during a concert in Shanghai. The notoriously gobby one made her vocal protest at the totalitarian state’s occupation of its southern neighbour, following a passionate rendition of the song “Declare Independence”.
Some concertgoers immediately left the building, and since then the Chinese blogosphere has been awash with indignation over the impish Icelandic artiste’s impudence. “Call the relevant authorities! Be gone with her! What a bitch! Fuck!,” is one choice comment.
A denunciation of Ms Guðmundsdóttir from George Galloway will follow once the occasional MP has had time to consult his thesaurus and copy of Fowler’s Modern English Usage.
She may have a voice like a cat on heat, but I quite like this woman.
Tuesday 4 March 2008 at 17:48
Do you remember the house at the North end of Great King St (or was it George St) in Dunedin North, which had the slogan ‘Free Latvia’ painted on the side? The shorter GG: in fact Latvia was always part of the Russian motherland!
Tuesday 4 March 2008 at 20:57
No, I don’t remember that. At the age I was then, I don’t think I had any idea who Latvia was.
Thursday 6 March 2008 at 12:31
‘Kosovo was behind Exit festival row
Wednesday, 05 March 2008
Björk
Representatives of Bjork have insisted that the singer was forced out of Serbian festival EXIT due to her views on Kosovo.
The singer claimed she was dropped from the July event because of what she said onstage recently in Tokyo in support of the region gaining its independence.
EXIT’s organiser Bojan Boscovic then issued a statement denying that the singer had been dropped for her views, or that Bjork had even been cancelled.
However Bjork’s management have issued to following statement to NME.COM claiming that they were told politics was the reason she would not be allowed to play, and said that the festival had cancelled her performance.
“Bojan Boscovic, General Manager of the Exit Festival in Serbia, said in an email to Bjork’s representatives, that, quote: ‘We hope Bjork does not relate to Kosovo on other concerts here in Europe, nor in her interviews, because if she does we need to cancel the concert; if this happens, we may as well look for some other artist, or see what is available’.”
Her management added: “The coverage of dedicating her song ’Declare Independence’ to Kosovo at two recent shows in Japan was so widely covered in print and online media that the festival had no option but to cancel her performance. We will replace this event with another show in due course.” ‘
http://www.newkosovareport.com/
Thursday 6 March 2008 at 16:14
I guess that (a) it was inevitable that the Serbs would throw a wobbly, and (b) Guðmundsdóttir knew exactly what the reaction would be. I’m sure that liberal Serbs find recent developments to be at the very least unhelpful, but that’s their problem, and I’m sure they’ll cope.
Thursday 6 March 2008 at 18:24
This is all very well and that but Björk herself isn’t averse to a bit of cultural pillaging: according to a Finnish friend of mine she got herself into a bit of bother over there a few years back when on-stage at a concert in Helsinki she claimed The Moomins were Icelandic. Caused quite a rumpus apparently.
Thursday 6 March 2008 at 20:47
Well Guðmundsdóttir is no saint, I admit. But when when politicians in the west have their tongues wedged firmly up the arse of the Chinese state, and most of the left seem to no longer give a shit, I applaud the impish Icelander for using her celebrity position to stir it up.