Afel Bocoum – Cancelled

Dear Audience,

It is with great regret that we must cancel the concert by Afel Bocoum as part of Salam Music. We are disappointed and saddened, as Salam Music truly did everything possible to make this very special concert happen. Ultimately, Afel Bocoum’s performance could not take place due to strict visa regulations.

We did our utmost to support and accompany the visa process. Our heartfelt thanks go to the Department for International Cultural Affairs of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, which supported us tremendously throughout this process. However, the reality is that the requirements for visa applications are becoming increasingly complicated and are nearly impossible to meet for many artists outside the EU. These regulations are out of touch with the living realities in many countries and make cultural exchange ever more difficult.

This is a bitter development — not only for our festival, but for cultural diversity in Europe as a whole. We sincerely hope that change will come in the future.

Katrin Pröll, Salam Music

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PURCHASED TICKETS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY REFUNDED.

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Here is the official statement from Afel Bocoum’s management:

Dear Salam Music Festival, dear Porgy & Bess and dear audience,

It is with deep regret that I must inform you of the cancellation of Afel Bocoum and his band’s upcoming tour. Despite months of careful preparation and sustained effort, the musicians‘ visas were not granted. Afel has asked me to convey his sadness at not being able to perform for your audiences at this time.

We began the visa process early and strategically, applying first through the Dutch Embassy in Bamako, as the tour was scheduled to begin in the Netherlands and include additional dates there later. Afel and the musicians had also toured successfully in the Netherlands recently. However, the embassy declined, explaining that because they would spend more time in Austria overall, the visas should be issued by Austrian authorities.

As the Austrian Embassy in Bamako does not handle visas, and the French Embassy has traditionally managed such cases in the region, we submitted a revised application. We added a four-day stay in France at the start of the tour. The final tour performance was there as well. After an extended review period, we were told the French Embassy had stopped issuing visas due to broader political decisions.

With help from our contacts, we quickly secured an appointment at the Austrian Embassy in Dakar. We flew the musicians there, arranged accommodation, and submitted all required documentation. When additional materials were requested—including birth certificates, bank statements, and proof of assets—we provided them promptly. Nonetheless, we were informed today that the Austrian Ministry of Internal Security had rejected the application, citing insufficient income in the musicians’ bank statements.

This has been a discouraging and exhausting process. We have organized international tours before and never encountered obstacles of this magnitude. The shifting political climate has complicated international travel and visa procedures.

While we hope to reschedule the concerts in the future, we cannot make any commitments at this time. Please let your audience know that we did everything possible under the circumstances.

We’ve learned valuable lessons from this experience that will help us better navigate future tours. We are especially grateful for the outstanding support from our Austrian cultural partners and remain committed to sharing this music with your audiences as soon as circumstances permit.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support.

Warm regards,
Management, Afel Bocoum

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