KEY POINTS:
Organisers of Britain's biggest world music festival have been forced to make last-minute cancellations after three musicians in their line-up were unable to obtain visas to play at Womad. Another two performers - including a headlining star from Nigeria - were struggling to gain entry into Britain for the weekend festival which attracts more than four million viewers.
Womad is the latest of a succession of events that have been affected by tougher visa rules in Britain. Seun Kuti, the son of the Nigerian legend Fela Kuti, who was to play with his father's politically-charged Afrobeat band, Egypt 80, was fighting to gain an artist's visa in the hope of performing tomorrow. He was among the headlining acts listed on Womad's website, along with Eddy Grant and Martha Wainwright.
TeraKraft, an electric guitar collective from Mali, are also facing the possibility of missing their performance. Kasai Allstars, a Congolese band who have performed all over the world, did not gain a temporary work visa from the Home Office, along with the Pakistani Sufi master Asif Ali Khan, a powerful figure on the international music stage who is often referred to as Pakistan's musical prince.
A statement from Womad added that Kasai Allstars have been forced to "cancel their whole European tour as they couldn't get the visas they needed". An Indian troupe, the Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan, were also unable to enter the country to perform at the three-day festival.
A spokesman for the organisers said it was an increasingly frequent problem each year, with musicians being denied performances in this country due to "red tape". "Organisers have noticed it's getting harder and harder with more performers in trouble over visas each year, having to go through a lengthier process each time," he said.
Many devotees of world music will have bought their 150 weekend tickets to the festival, expecting to see the billed performers who have since faced visa difficulties. Jason Walsh, who runs Musicians Incorporated, a booking agency for many African artists, said that, while visa regulations were changing, they still presented enormous difficulties for many African acts.
A Home Office spokeswoman refused to comment on the Womad cases but added that each case was "assessed on its individual merits".
- INDEPENDENT
