Concert organiser slams determination to refuse visas to teenage musicians

A live performance organiser has slammed the Home Office’s ‘callous and inhumane’ determination to refuse visas to 47 teenage Afghan musicians for a tour elevating consciousness of the plight of women underneath the Taliban.

The Home Office made a U-turn on its determination to disclaim visas to 47 younger Afghan musicians because of fly to the UK after dealing with backlash.

Concert organiser Jay Visvadeva stated: ‘After working for seven months and spending a number of 1000’s kilos in visa biometric and surcharges, my coronary heart sank in disbelief that theirs was a callous and inhumane determination.

‘Later, they lastly wakened – after arriving at a extremely damaging and detrimental determination.’

The Afghan Youth Orchestra is because of come to the UK to boost consciousness of the plight of women and girls underneath the Taliban although their visas had been initially denied.

Mr Visvadeva added: ‘In September 2023, when the South Bank Centre invited me to curate a season representing the humanities of South Asia, I instantly instructed the Afghan Youth Orchestra now exiled in Braga, Portugal. 

‘It gave me a imaginative and prescient to ask this 48 younger musicians to collaborate with younger British musicians in a singular cross-cultural dialogue that may encourage and provides hope to those extremely traumatised younger members of the Afghan Orchestra.

‘We as programme producers acknowledge the importance of preserving cultural identities whereas fostering integration. 

‘To accomplish this delicate steadiness, we had organised a wide range of vibrant cultural concert events and occasions that remember heritage and nurture group bonds. 

‘These concert events would happen at prestigious venues in London, Birmingham, Manchester and different locations.

‘As producers, we have now misplaced some huge cash in our contractual relationships, inflicting a havoc in our funds and breaking the hope of the younger musicians. 

‘Once the stress had reached the Home Office, the penny had dropped they usually realised their error of judgment and slowly began to reverse its determination.

‘I’m now ever so happy that they lastly noticed mild on the finish of tunnel and grant the orchestra the visas, which they’ve now been confirmed. We stay up for the tour.’

The musicians within the orchestra are a part of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), a gaggle that fled their homeland after the Taliban seized energy and banned music and training for younger girls and women. 

After the visa was initially refused, ANIM stated: ‘The visa refusal not solely dealt a major blow to the younger musicians’ aspirations but additionally disadvantaged these younger musicians a chance to boost consciousness via music in regards to the gender apartheid towards Afghan girls and denial of cultural rights of the Afghan folks by the Taliban.’

After the general public outcry over the refused visas the Home Office overturned its determination this week and stated in an announcement that ‘musicians and performers are a valued and essential a part of UK tradition’.

The Southbank Centre, the place the half-female group aged 14-22 will play on Thursday, had stated that they’re ‘extraordinarily upset that the Afghan Youth Orchestra has had its visas denied’ immediately.

‘The orchestra is a beacon of hope and free artistic expression: its courageous younger folks have been pressured to go away their homeland due to a repressive regime they usually have discovered a house in Portugal, the place they’ve refugee standing,’ the assertion continued.

‘This determination denies UK audiences the chance of being impressed by their courageous work they usually deserve full help of the Arts group in addition to the UK authorities. We urge the Home Office to rethink its determination.’

The younger musicians have already performed in Spain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland and are because of play at New York’s renomated Carnegie Hall later this yr.

Dr Ahmad Sarmast, the pinnacle of the orchestra, instructed Ms Lamb that the preliminary determination was ‘so disappointing’. ‘These women have been practising for months and it might have been so lovely,’ he added.

Ms Lamb stated she beforehand visited the orchestra in Portugal, the place she spoke to 3 feminine musicians instructed her about rebuilding their lives within the European nation after fleeing Afghanistan when the Taliban seized energy. 

When all 273 ANIM college students and employees arrived in Portugal in December 2021, they needed to be quarantined and did not have their devices, the Times studies.

More than 100 of them left for different international locations and solely 58 college students – most of them minors – stay in Portugal with Mr Sarmast, who hopes to rebuild the music faculty there. 

He stated: ‘Every efficiency we do is a protest towards the Taliban,’ whereas his college students instructed Ms Lamb that they play figuring out they’re being watched at residence.

One college students added: ‘I really feel like I’m enjoying for all of the women and girls of Afghanistan who’re locked of their houses.’ 

The orchestra itself stated in an announcement after the visas had been initially denied: ‘It is with deep remorse that the Afghan Youth Orchestra (AYO) informs the group and public that the orchestra was denied an entry visa to the UK. 

‘AYO, a gaggle of exceptionally gifted younger feminine and male afghan musicians, was scheduled to embark on a live performance tour of the UK referred to as ‘Breaking the Silence’. 

‘This live performance tour is a part of the South Asian Sounds Festival hosted by the Southbank Centre.’

The assertion added: ‘AYO expresses its profound disappointment that the denial of visas not solely deprives them of a chance to share the fantastic thing about Afghan music with the audiences in 4 cities within the UK, but additionally share their message of resilience, hope and wrestle with the worldwide group.’ 

‘The group flee Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban, and since December 2021, reside and research in Portugal, the place they had been granted asylum,’ ANIM stated as they urged the Home Office to rethink their determination.

The backlash fired up by Ms Lamb seemingly pressured the Home Office right into a U-turn, because the journalist confirmed on X that the group would be capable of come and play within the UK in spite of everything. 

She wrote: ‘Great information – Home Office has overturned their determination & the Afghan youth orchestra will now be coming to UK and enjoying their girls’s day live performance at Southbank Centre, then Bham, Liverpool & Manchester. Pls go see them & present your help for Afghan girls & women.’ 

A Home Office spokesperson stated: ‘Musicians and performers are a valued and essential a part of UK tradition.

‘Applications need to be thought-about on their particular person deserves in accordance with the immigration guidelines with the duty on candidates to reveal they meet these guidelines.’

It is known that the Home Office was working with organisers to make sure that consent was obtained for the minors to journey. 

Diana Johnson MP, the chair of the house affairs choose committee, wrote on X: ‘Excellent information and glad the @ukhomeoffice have finished the best factor. Thank you to everybody who made this occur.’ 

Mr Sarmast instructed the Guardian earlier than the visa determination was reversed: ‘The group has been denied visas for entry to the UK to finish this excellent tour referred to as Breaking the Silence.

‘We have performed all around the world since we left [Afghanistan] however we by no means confronted this.’

He added that the orchestra did not simply need to share Afghan music overseas whereas it’s banned underneath the Taliban, ‘however to realize cultural diplomacy’. 

The group ready a mixture of Afghan, south Asian and classical music from the West for his or her efficiency on the Southbank Centre on Thursday.