Erykah Badu Speaks Out About Her Concert’s Ban in Malaysia
For most artists, having a performance abruptly cancelled would cause them anger and dismay, but for Erykah Badu, that just doesn’t seem to be the case. The soul singer’s scheduled Malaysian performance was cancelled recently by the nation’s government after a photograph of her body art offended some of its Muslim citizens. But during a recent press conference, Badu claimed that she holds no grudges against Malaysia.
On Wednesday, Feb. 29, Badu was to perform for a crowd of more than 1,500 people at a Kuala Lumpur stadium, but the day before the concert the largely Muslim nation’s information minister barred the performance because a promotional photo of Badu with the Arabic word for “Allah” on her shoulders was deemed an insult to Islam.
“It’s sad, because we traveled a long way,” Badu said in a news conference. “But I’m totally understanding of [the minister’s] protection of the laws and its people. He doesn’t want anything to happen. I’m good with that.”
The Star, the English language daily that published the controversial photo on Monday to promote the show, has since apologized for what it called an “oversight” in publishing the image.
Badu instead took to Twitter to address the controversy and explained that the image was inspired by a character from The Holy Mountain a 1973 surrealist movie by Chilean-French filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. The character, the Painted Lady, is covered in tattoos of all the names of God.
“I think art is often misunderstood in the realm of religion, and it’s OK,” said Badu. “In America, it’s a lot different. Art is also misunderstood but it is not such a harsh gesture to promote the names of God. I am learning and understanding about Islam in other countries more as we travel.”
Information Minister Rais Yatim was quoted as saying that police feared that that if the concert went ahead, it could cause “various situations that may lead to social excitement, and quarrels may break out due to religious sensitivities.”
Despite her performance ban, Badu claimed that she would “absolutely” welcome the opportunity to perform in the country in the future. In the meantime, Badu will get to perform in the world’s most populous Muslim nation this weekend when she hits the stage in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, for a jazz festival.
It’s safe to say that the reaction to Badu’s body art was definitely monumental.
