Hen Mazzig
Israeli singer Dudu Tassa and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s UK shows next month have been cancelled under pressure from the BDS movement. Dudu Tassa is facing the same hate as his grandfather before him. Dudu Tassa’s family was expelled from Iraq simply for being Jewish. His grandfather and great-uncle were the Al-Kuwaiti brothers, two of the most important musicians in Baghdad during the early 20th century. They helped shape modern Iraqi music and were instrumental in founding Baghdad’s first broadcasting authority. Despite being favorites of the Iraqi king and performing regularly in palaces and stadiums, they were forced to flee and later erased from Iraqi history, because of their Jewish identity. Today, their descendant, Dudu Tassa, faces the same hatred, this time from the Free Palestine crowd. For a movement that claims to fight for freedom, they should know that silencing artists and boycotting music is a dangerous step toward dictatorship and fascism. Music should unite us. Art should heal, inspire, and lead us toward peace.
