DJ Black Coffee under the anti-Israel whip

NICOLA MILTZ

The star, whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo, has been advised to avoid publicity after his sold-out Tel Aviv concert landed him in hot water and embroiled him in a local Twitter storm.

His ill-timed concert, which took place during the Easter weekend at the Rocks Garden in Tel Aviv, coincided with the March of Return in Gaza, which saw thousands of Palestinians protesting along the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. A number of fatalities occurred following violent clashes at the border.

In response to the South African government’s calls for a cultural boycott of Israel, the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) told SA Jewish Report this week that it had written to Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu to address this and other issues.

Black Coffee turned down several radio interviews scheduled for this week following his arrival back home on Monday, saying he “had been advised” not to comment further.

“It has been a very difficult time for me and my family,” the multi award-winning artist told SA Jewish Report this week. “It has been very hard on all of us.”

Sources close to him said that he “has a lot to say”, but is cautious as he’s been advised not to speak out. The sources say he now knows who his real friends and fans are, after having been vilified and ostracised on social media.

Only a few local artists have shown him support, while many have behaved in a very ugly manner towards him.

“South African artists have not been supportive, more out of ignorance than on purpose,” said a source who asked to remain anonymous, but is very close to the acclaimed deejay. “But who knows, maybe in a year or two they might be the ones going there.”

The source said Maphumulo believes that there is a different way to deal with the matter, “not by victimising each other but by dealing with it properly”.

“He would express his views himself,” added the source, “but he knows he can’t because people are negative and have bought into the hype, and this will just flare up.”

An industry insider, who also asked to remain anonymous, said local artists were very cautious when choosing their gigs. “Artists try to keep it neutral, knowing they have to be very careful because of the amount of vitriol they can receive on social media.

“During Jacob Zuma’s presidency and state capture allegations, for example, artists knew it could have caused career suicide to perform at an ANC-aligned event. Many of the big names choose very carefully which political parties they associate themselves with, and most prefer to keep things apolitical for obvious reasons.”

Wendy Kahn, the national director of the SAJBD, said this week: “We have written to Minister Sisulu regarding our concerns around the manner in which our government is engaging on the Israeli-Palestinian situation. We have requested an opportunity to meet with her to discuss South Africa’s stance on these issues.

“While the ANC has supported several Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) events, including a hunger strike last year, to our knowledge the ANC as a whole has not directly intimidated an artist regarding his or her performance in Israel.

“There have been frequent attempts by BDS to threaten and intimidate artists over the past decade, including Die Antwoord, the Cape Town Opera and the previous time Black Coffee performed in Israel. These attempts have failed,” she said.

The SAJBD has been engaging with the ANC over the past few months regarding its stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This issue will form part of these discussions.

In response to the ANC’s call for the cultural boycott and the massive media attention created by his Israeli performance, including comments by prominent politicians, SA Zionist Federation (SAZF) chair Ben Swartz said: “The government and the BDS have sought to exploit musicians for their own narrow agendas, instead of encouraging them to use their music as a universal language and a tool for peace and unity.”

Swartz said the SAZF condemned the criticism directed towards the artist as this “did nothing for the Palestinian people”. Instead, it defamed and violated the rights of South Africans.

“Imposing a boycott against Israel, over and above every other country in the world, is itself immoral and inconsistent with how South Africa normally conducts it foreign policy. Prejudice, rather than any genuine concern for human rights, is what appears to be behind this decision,” read a SAJBD statement.

The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) commended Black Coffee for “standing by his convictions and for exercising his constitutional right to freedom of movement”. The party encouraged the artist to ignore his critics.

“It’s hypocritical for the haters of Israel to say they wish to express their disappointment at the State of Israel’s lack of commitment towards a peaceful resolution,” read a statement, released by the ACDP this week. “They never condemn Arab countries that sometimes threaten to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.”

ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe said if Black Coffee performed in Israel in future, he planned to accompany him.