Um caso muito curioso, por uma cantora que ninguém conhece mas que é paradigmático.
A história conta-se rapidamente: uma cantora afro-colombiana canadiana durante um concerto pediu “brown girls to the front” (i.e., latinos e afros) e que os brancos fossem para o fundo da sala. Uma fotografa voluntária, responsável por fotografar o evento, calha de ser branca e recusou-se a ir. A cantora insistiu 10x, a fotógrafa não foi. Conclusão: a fotografa interrompeu o espectáculo.

Mas o melhor são mesmo as palavras usadas: a fotógrafa foi racista por não sair do sítio dela(!), quem emite a declaração com referência às cores deve ser individualista (!) e nada racista com certeza, e o comportamento de não se mover foi agressivo (!).

Dear attendees, fans, artists, staff, volunteers, and folks otherwise involved in the Halifax Pop Explosion. On Thursday, October 19 at the Marquee Club, a white HPX volunteer along with several other white people in the audience reacted to Lido Pimienta inviting “brown girls to the front” of the venue with overt racism. This volunteer was removed by Lido herself. They have since received notification from the festival that they are no longer welcome to volunteer with us.

(…) Halifax Pop Explosion is committing to providing our team with anti-oppression and anti-racism training. Additionally, we will be working with local organizations over the next year to create a list of local resources for our community. We also want to make this list available to those who create unsafe and uncomfortable space at our shows and venues by demonstrating racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and other discriminatory behaviours, so they too can begin unpacking their discriminatory behaviour. As a festival, we will also spend the next several months addressing ways we can make our festival spaces safer for women, POC, and 2SLGBTQ+ folks.

To Lido Pimienta: we are sorry that one of our volunteers interrupted your art, your show, and your audience by being aggressive and racist. We have so much respect for the art and music you create and the space you make for women, people of colour, transgender, and non-binary people. The way you interact with the world acts and provides a thoughtful example. You are a role model to us and many people in our community. We see it. We feel it. We hope you will work with us again.

To the POC in the audience on Thursday night: we are sorry your night was interrupted, and perhaps ruined, by one of our volunteers. We are going to try our best as a festival to create ways to make our spaces safer and more accessible for you. We hope we can rebuild some trust and that you will come back to our shows.

Thanks everyone for reading. We are fielding many discussions already. If you would like to make your voice heard in these discussions, please don’t hesitate to contact the organization directly by emailing talkback@halifaxpopexplosion.com. We are listening.

Podem ler a entrevista posterior da cantora à Billboard aqui.
Realmente, Obama e Trudeau repararam as relações entre todas as etnias. Bom trabalho.