Björk Sparks ‘Foreign Entertainer’ Ban

With the carrot ever a-dangle over whether or not Guns N’ Roses will release their long-awaited Chinese Democracy, it seems the actual country’s hopes of ever embracing democratic ideals continues to drift. As a result of a concert in Shanghai in where Icelandic rabble rouser Björk shouted “Tibet! Tibet!” during her revolutionary anthem “Declare Independence,” the Chinese Ministry of Culture has declared an across-the-board ban on foreign performers who might pose a threat to Chinese rule. While that show took place in March, the ban comes in the wake of tightened security leading up to this summer’s Beijing Olympics, even requiring prior approval for encores.

With the carrot ever a-dangle over whether or not Guns N’ Roses will release their long-awaited Chinese Democracy, it seems the actual country’s hopes of ever embracing democratic ideals continues to drift. As a result of a concert in Shanghai in where Icelandic rabble rouser Björk shouted “Tibet! Tibet!” during her revolutionary anthem “Declare Independence,” the Chinese Ministry of Culture has declared an across-the-board ban on foreign performers who might pose a threat to Chinese rule. While that show took place in March, the ban comes in the wake of tightened security leading up to this summer’s Beijing Olympics, even requiring prior approval for encores.

The Ministry states: “Any artistic group or individual who have ever engaged in activities which threaten our national sovereignty will not be allowed in,” further defining the ban against entertainers who “threaten national unity,” “whip up ethnic hatred,” “violate religious policy or cultural norms” or “advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

This is not the first time Björk has used the blatantly political song to rile up audiences, though to much different effect. A month before the Shanghai debacle in Tokyo, Björk dedicated the song to Kosovo for their recent independence from Serbian rule. Originally written in reference to the Faroe Islands-a cluster of North Atlantic islands traditionally linked to Iceland, though an independent province of the Kingdom of Denmark-the song is a rallying cry for subservient nations to “Start your own currency/ Make your own stamp/ protect your language” and “With a flag and a trumpet/ Go to the top of your highest mountain/ Raise your flag!”