Moroccan authorities refuse to license a concert by a French rapper
The Casablanca authorities refused to allow the famous French rapper “Bubba” to hold a concert that was scheduled for next month in the city Moroccan Al-Kabeera, in light of calls to boycott her due to his accusation of insulting Moroccan women in some of his songs, according to what the organizers reported on Friday.
One of the party’s organizers told AFP on Friday that the local authorities of the Casablanca province (Anfa) “told us their refusal to organize it without justification,” adding, without mentioning his name, “but we are still negotiating with them.”
The concert, scheduled for June 21, sparked controversy recently, with calls to boycott it spreading on social media in Morocco, where the artist is widely popular with the rap audience.
These calls were based on excerpts from the singer’s work, whose real name is Eli Yafa, which were considered offensive to Moroccan and North African women.
In the context of this campaign, the president of the “Lawyers Club in Morocco,” Mourad al-Ajouti, confirmed to AFP on Friday that this professional association had filed a judicial complaint against “Bupa,” accusing him of “defamation and insult against Moroccan women.”
An invitation was also sent through social networks to sit in front of the headquarters of the Casablanca district (Anfa) on Friday, to demand that the party be banned, but the gathering did not take place, according to a journalist from Agence France-Presse.
A movement calling itself the “Moorish” party, which called for the sit-in, stated that it had withdrawn from holding the gathering after the authorities refused to grant a permit for the party, pointing out that it is currently satisfied with “monitoring the development of the situation,” and that it “will not hesitate to reorganize (the sit-in). If needed.”
The rapper had said in a video he posted on Twitter Monday, he is “waiting for news about the concert, which is still tentatively programmed.” “If it is cancelled, it would be really unfortunate,” he added.
“Bubba” accused the French rapper of Moroccan origin “Mais” and the singer “Mater James”, who resides in Morocco, of being behind the boycott campaign.
