should we boycott artists?

Adania Shibli ultimately did not receive a prize this week that was to have been awarded to it at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The association which awards this award has decided not to organize a ceremony at the Salon, due to the war started by Hamas, and assures that this prize will be awarded later. The Palestinian author is therefore deprived of the honors of a major international fair.

Of course, in view of the thousands of deaths which have bereaved our consciences for three weeks, this is a question which could seem minor. But on the contrary, it is at the moment when emotions can make us react with eagerness that it is good to ask ourselves: should we boycott artists in times of war? The Frankfurt Book Fair therefore responded in the affirmative: Adania Shibli will not be received there, she will not receive the prize she was due to obtain for her novel A minor detail, which recounts the rape and murder of a young Bedouin woman by Israeli soldiers in 1949 in the Negev desert. A decision immediately denounced in a column signed by more than 600 writers, including three Nobel Prize winners for literature.

The organizers justified this decision by explaining that they wanted “making Israeli voices particularly audible.” Which may, all the same, allow us to raise an eyebrow. It is not clear why it was impossible to honor this Palestinian author, whose book was particularly praised for its historical accuracy, while also inviting Israeli artists.

Among the precedents, that of the war in Ukraine

This is, unfortunately, far from the first time that a cultural event has been canceled for international political reasons. One of the most recent precedents concerns France which, last September, suspended any new collaboration with artists from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso – officially for material reasons, linked to the difficulties in issuing visas in these countries. country.

But above all, there is the case of the Russo-Ukrainian war. In 2022 and 2023, many Russian artists have been canceled from international stages. In London, the Royal Opera House canceled the Bolshoi Ballet, which is understandable, since, according to political scientist Yauheni Kryzhanouski, these tours directly bring money to Vladimir Putin. Then there is the case of artists who refused to take a position for or against the Russian president, and who paid the price. The most emblematic case is undoubtedly that of the soprano Anna Netrebko, one of the greatest divas in the world, who waited several months before expressing her opposition to the war and, for this, now sees herself boycotted by the Metropolitan New York Opera. Finally, there are artists who immediately committed themselves against Russian aggression, at the expense of their own security, and who were still deprogrammed. I am thinking in particular of the young pianist Alexander Malofeev, whose concerts with the Montreal Orchestra were canceled.

Art, influence and propaganda

The main argument in favor of these cancellations is that art is an integral part of what we call the soft power of a state, that is to say its power of influence. For Russia, this is particularly clear in the case of certain directors very close to power, and whose films may implicitly contain a propaganda dimension. But it goes well beyond that. Political scientist Jane Duncan believes that, historically, Russia has based part of its prestige on its intellectual, sporting and artistic successes. Deprogramming Russian artists, in the context of a war where Russia is the aggressor, is effectively depriving it of a precious resource.

But it also directly harms artists who are, sometimes, part of the opposition to Vladimir Putin. Especially since art is also, and above all, a bridge between humans and nations. Whatever the way in which tensions with Russian power end, it will then be necessary to reestablish ties with the Russian people. This will notably involve art. We would therefore do well not to cut ourselves off from artists.

To try to reconcile these different dimensions, France’s diplomatic position seeks a balance: refusing to allow artists who explicitly supported Putin’s war to perform, and welcoming all others, including if they have asserted their right to do not take a position. On the other hand, in the case of the Palestinian author Adania Shibli, the decision of the Frankfurt Fair seems indefensible to me. Despite the thousands of deaths on each side, we can only hope that one day, Israelis and Palestinians will manage to establish a peaceful relationship. However, writers are, precisely, a powerful vector of mutual understanding. Through the sensitive force of their words, they have the power to make us aware of realities that would be impossible for us to accept or integrate otherwise.

Perhaps we could therefore begin, despite the war, by not depriving the authors of Palestine of their voice.