AMMAN - Aides to Lebanese pop stars said Wednesday the decision by their bosses to boycott Jordan Festival is rooted in an internal Jordanian dispute that should be resolved first.
Lebanese singer Assi Hillani will boycott the Jordan Festival, while Lebanese pop star Elissa, whose concert is scheduled for July 8, will not be taking part in the festival unless a settlement is reached between the government and the Jordan Artists Association (JAA), according to managers of the two celebrities.
The JAA has sent a circular to the Arab artists unions in five countries, requesting they ban their members from partaking in the festival, citing a single local press report that Publicis Groupe, which allegedly organised Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations was organising Jordan Festival, a claim that was categorically rejected by the group.
"Hillani will not be taking part in the event and this is final. We will abide by the decision taken by the Syndicat Des Artistes Professionnels Au Liban to boycott the festival. We were told by the JAA that the company organising the festival has ties and cooperation with Israel and this does not serve our image," Majed Hillani, manager of Assi told The Jordan Times over phone.
He added that the boycott decision is final though a contract was already signed between Assi and a Lebanese company, adding: "Imagine that we have a concert and the people boycott it, then it will be a failure for us. There is a major controversy between the Ministry of Tourism in Jordan and the JAA and the situation is not clear."
In the statement released by Hillani's office in Beirut received by The Jordan Times Wednesday, the office indicated that Hillani's decision to boycott the festival was due to the fact that "Assi is an artist who is committed to all the issues of the Arab nation, especially the cause of Palestinian people, whose rights are violated".
Elissa's manager Ameen Abi Yaghi said the diva will not be taking part in the festival unless the Lebanese syndicate is told by the JAA that the issue was settled, while stressing it is unfortunate that Elissa might waste the chance to perform in such a major cultural event.
"Till today, Elissa is committed to the Lebanese syndicate's decision. But we do not know what might happen at any minute, especially that Elissa's concert is nearing... as long as the Lebanese syndicate is boycotting the event we will not show up," Abi Yaghi told The Jordan Times.
"I want to say that the festival is a great idea and a fabulous event and it is really a pity and unfortunate what is happening, I personally feel sorry for what is happening to the festival. It is very important for us and Jordan and we are waiting any developments now," Abi Yaghi said from Beirut.
Head of the follow-up committee at the Syndicat Des Artistes Professionnels Au Liban in Beirut Ihsan Sadiq told The Jordan Times Wednesday that the syndicate will not go back on its decision unless it is notified that the JAA has gone back on its decision to end the boycott.
"We are obliged to boycott the festival because we have protocols with Arab artists' unions. It is not that we want to boycott the event, but are obliged to. We love Jordan, but it is an internal Jordanian problem that the JAA and tourism officials should tackle," Sadiq said.
In earlier remarks, the General Union of Arab Artists in Egypt announced its boycott of the festival, saying Egyptian singers Amr Diab and Mohammad Hamaqi will not be taking part in the festival. The two artists could not be reached for confirmation.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Abdallat, manager of Jordanian singer Omar Abdallat, confirmed "Omar decided to go back on the decision he took earlier to boycott the festival and will be participating in the event after it became clear that Publicis Groupe is not organising the festival".
The government said Tuesday that several artists who announced boycotting the festival have changed their decision and would be taking part in the event which is intended to attract tourists to the Kingdom.
But the JAA insisted it will not back down with the syndicate's president, Shaher Hadid, insisting on Wednesday that the government respond to his association's three conditions, one of which is that the government should cancel the alleged relationship with Publicis Groupe. The group said it has no role in organising the festival.
"There is no kind of cooperation whatsoever with Jordan in arranging the event," a Publicis Groupe spokesperson told The Jordan Times on Tuesday. The PR firm also rejected claims that it organised Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations.
In addition, Hadid also demanded a revival of the Jerash Festival, the 25-year-old event that was included under the umbrella of the Jordan Festival this year, and the cancellation of a concert by Algerian star Cheb Khalid, who has allegedly performed with an Israeli artist in Rome.
By Mohammad Ghazal
© Jordan Times 2008
