Reggae legends Black Uhuru have been forced to cancel their UK tour after the country’s Home Office issued visas with unreasonable time limits.
The Jamaican group, which won the first Grammy Award for a Reggae Recording in 1985, were booked to perform at the Jazz Café in Camden, London, on Saturday, September 3, as part of their 50th-anniversary tour. However, the operators of the café announced that the show was cancelled, as the UK Home Office had not given the group enough time in the country to allow them to meet the September show date.
“We are hugely disappointed to announce the cancellation of Black Uhuru shows at The Jazz Cafe. We have been working on these dates for nearly 3 years and to reach this conclusion is a crushing blow for us all,” the café operators noted.
“After failing to grant visas in time for the August 2022 dates, the UK Home Office have not granted a long enough visa for the band to tour the UK and as a result they will not be allowed to stay for the rescheduled shows on 03 September,” it added, noting that refunds have now been processed.
Following the announcement, British writer and columnist, Ian Burrell, took to Twitter, to vent about the situation which he said was reminiscent of the Windrush scandal.
“So reggae greats Black Uhuru have cancelled their UK tour after not getting visas from the Home Office, which also this year refused entry to elders and peace messengers The Abyssinians (for which I had a ticket). The hostile environment continues. #windrush,” he tweeted.
So reggae greats Black Uhuru have cancelled their UK tour after not getting visas from the Home Office, which also this year refused entry to elders and peace messengers The Abyssinians (for which I had a ticket). The hostile environment continues. #windrush
— Ian Burrell (@iburrell) August 27, 2022
He then added that due to the stance of the Home Office, Jamaican artists were opting to go to sections of Continental Europe to perform.
“Several reggae festivals on this summer but lots of the heavy lifting is being done by UK artists. Jamaican acts go to Germany, Spain etc as the UK usually won’t let them in,” he added.
Several reggae festivals on this summer but lots of the heavy lifting is being done by UK artists. Jamaican acts go to Germany, Spain etc as the UK usually won’t let them in.
— Ian Burrell (@iburrell) August 27, 2022
As Burrell continued to blast the Home Office, he added: “Home Office was branded “not fit for purpose” in 2006 by a spokesperson for Home Sec John Reid. Since then it’s got even worse. Refusing visas to 70-something Jamaican artists – Abyssinians & now Black Uhuru – who preach peace & harmony is part of a hostile environment #windrush”.
The Windrush scandal referred to by Burrell, broke in April 2018, and resulted in the UK government apologizing for deportation threats made to children of Commonwealth citizens, who despite living and working in the UK for decades, were told that they were there illegally due to a lack of official paperwork.
According to Amnesty International, the origins of the scandal date back to the policies pursued by post-war governments intentionally designed “to restrict black and Asian British nationals coming to the UK”, and which culminated in the loss of British nationality of many people who had migrated to the UK.
According to a BBC report, in 2010, Home Office staff members destroyed landing cards belonging to Windrush migrants. The department had also kept no record of those granted leave to remain and issued no paperwork – making it difficult for Windrush arrivals to prove their legal status.
On Saturday, many Twitter users who responded to Burrell’s tweet, narrowed down the actions of the Home Office to racism.
“Now. If they had changed their name to “White” on the application, suspect they would have been waived through. Welcome to Culturally stifled Brexit Britain!!” Pashton Turner noted, while Iris Mansi added: “Britain is racist or rather our current leaders are”.
“Started over 6 years ago when Mighty Diamonds turned up minus their main singer Donald ‘Tabby’ Shaw – because of Teresa May’s clampdown. Sadly 2 of Mighty Diamonds are no longer with us including Tabby,” was the comment from Terry Christian.
Another commenter, Vernon Allen argued that it was unfathomable, the reason for the actions of the Home Office towards Black Uhuru, who had performed in the UK many times before.
“How many years have Black Uhuru been coming to uk to tour and yet now they’re deemed unworthy of entry. This country has become embarrassing , petty and in danger of becoming culturally stunted and regressive,” he said.