1 of 3 The mayor of Boa Vista, Arthur Henrique (MDB), has canceled the show of the artist Jhonny Hooker. — Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/arthurhenriquerr Boa Vista Mayor Arthur Henrique (MDB) canceled artist Jhonny Hooker’s show. — Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/arthurhenriquerr
Mayor Arthur Henrique (MDB) announced this Monday afternoon (25) the cancellation of the show of the singer Jhonny Hooker at the integrated arts festival Mormaço Cultural. The artist would be performing next Saturday (30).
The cancellation came after some Boa Vista politicians shared old videos of Johnny during one of his shows in Pernambuco in 2018. At that time, the artist protested against the cancellation of a play about Jesus in which the main actress was a trans woman.
The sharing of the videos went viral in Boa Vista and some internet users demanded explanations from the mayor about Johnny’s show in the capital.
2 out of 3 The mayor canceled Jhonny Hooker’s show after negative repercussions. — Photo: Reproduction/Instagram The mayor canceled Jhonny Hooker’s show after negative repercussions. — Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
In a video posted on Instagram, the mayor explained that “one of the attractions was disapproved of by many people through public demonstrations” and that, at his request, the Fundação de Educação, Turismo, Esporte e Cultura de Boa Vista (Fetec) canceled Jhonny’s presentation Fetec reports to the mayor.
The artists were selected by Fetec based on interactions on social media, “where people indicated who they would like to see at the festival when the event was announced,” said the mayor.
“I would like to apologize, respect is something I will not give up, everyone knows my principles and my values, and as mayor I will always do the best for the people and the city of Boa Vista. We immediately started legal and legal advice. “Upon request, Fetec canceled this festival attraction,” he said.
g1 has attempted to contact the city of Boa Vista, which is responsible for the festival, to find out if another artist should replace the performance and is awaiting a response.
3 out of 3 Singer Jhonny Hooker shared the association’s statement. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Singer Jhonny Hooker shared the club’s statement. — Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
In a statement published on social media, the Associação Grupo Athena Cores de Roraima (Agac/RR) rejects the cancellation of the artist’s exhibition. The association stated that “city authorities do not recognize the LGBTQIAPN+ population as legitimate and worthy of culture.”
“It is deeply disturbing to see that the city of Boa Vista has chosen such an action after being pressured by conservative political groups who used a speech by the artist in a decontextualized manner to launch a coordinated attack on Hooker’s name “To promote artists at the event with pathetic arguments such as embezzlement of public funds because his art does not fit into Christian parameters,” an excerpt from the note reads.
The group’s position was republished by the artist. Singer Jhonny Hooker’s show would take place next Saturday (30) and, according to the town hall, would be in honor of the singer Marília Mendonça. Jhonny Hooker was hired for R$100,000.
The following national artists are currently performing at the festival: Alcione, Vanessa da Mata, Chimarruts, Emicida, Biquini, Duda Beat and Xamã. Their hiring, including Hooker, cost the city’s public purse R$1,531,200.
The festival will take place from September 26th to October 1st at the Parque do Rio Branco and the Teatro Municipal de Boa Vista. The national exhibitions will take place on September 30th and October 1st at the Parque do Rio Branco.