When it was announced on June 15 that M.I.A. would headline the inaugural London edition of Afropunk festival (an annual celebration of alternative black culture held in Brooklyn since 2005, and Paris and Atlanta since 2015), the internet’s response was mixed. While many were excited to hear that Afropunk was coming to London, and praised her billing, a section of the festival’s audience voiced hurt and anger. This reaction was understandable, given the festival’s decision to book a non-black artist as the headline act. Afropunk’s original criteria for bands, according to filmmaker James Spooner (whose 2003 documentary Afro-Punk was the catalyst for the festival), was simply to be good and to have a black singer, with a focus on representing black punk and alternative culture.

ADVERTISEMENT

After the announcement, hundreds of commenters on Twitter flooded both Afropunk and M.I.A.’s mentions, attesting that it felt like, in the words of one Reddit user, “a slap in the face to black people everywhere.” On June 20, M.I.A. tweeted that she was pulling out of the festival, though Afropunk have since confirmed that she will still perform, releasing a statement on June 23 expressing solidarity with the artist and other marginalized communities. A rep for M.I.A. told The FADER that there was no additional comment at this time.