shokazoba.jpg

Shokazoba

(submitted photo)

AMHERST - Shokazoba's cancellation from the Hampshire Halloween event Friday night at Hampshire College, after one band member said they were criticized of being "too white" to play Afrobeat music, is reverberating on social media.

Shokazoba keyboard player Jason Moses said on Saturday that the entire incident has upset the band, which he said was the target of an online campaign by approximately 30 people - a campaign that led to the band's ultimate cancellation from the annual event.

Moses said the firestorm started when someone posted an inflammatory comment online about Hampshire College hiring an all-white band to play Afrobeat music for the event. He said the band is not all white, and race should not be an issue anyway.

"It's not important to us. Music and art has the opportunity to transcend all that," Moses.

The decision to cancel the band was made by the Hype Committee, which puts on Hampshire Halloween.

The Hype Committee wrote on its Facebook page on Oct. 24: "Due to concerned students voicing their opinions about the band Shokazoba, we held community dialogue to hear what individuals had to say. As a result of the dialogue, and discomfort expressed by members of the community in person as well as by email, Facebook, and other means, we have removed Shokazoba from the lineup for Hampshire Halloween."

Elaine Thomas, Hampshire College spokeswoman, said in a statement that the student organizers of Hampshire Halloween contracted with a number of bands, and that some students "questioned the selection of one band, asking whether it was a predominantly white Afrobeat band, and expressing their concerns about cultural appropriation and the need to respect marginalized cultures."

"The students tried to be clear that they meant no disrespect to the members of the band in question, but wished to raise larger questions and deeper thought within our own community," Thomas said. "Unfortunately, voices unconnected to our campus and to the events of Hampshire Halloween drowned out a reasonable conversation about how to ensure that the entire student community could have a safe and happy evening. As can happen on social media, posts from off-campus individuals trivialized the concerns of our students and made them feel disrespected."

She said student organizers met with concerned students on Thursday, and following that meeting, decided to cancel the band's appearance, but pay them in full anyway.

"Hampshire Halloween is student organized, paid for by Hampshire students in their student activity fees, and is designed to be a fun evening for our entire student community," Thomas said.

Said Moses, "It was just absolutely a disgusting experience."

"It felt like we were demonized. I didn't feel they should cancel us," he added.

Moses said he met with some committee members involved in the decision on Friday and was told that the band helped ratchet up the tension by responding to the negativity voiced online. He said they were just trying to clear their name and defend themselves.

Moses said the band had to sign a performance contract with the Hype Committee that stated it would not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, physical ability, or sexual orientation.

He said he does not feel the band was dealt with in an honest way, and said he was sure some people would have wanted to see them play. Moses said the band would still play at the college, if it were organized by a different group interested in incorporating other points of view.

Comments about the incident were still being posted on the Hype Committee's Facebook page Saturday.