BONEY M BANNED FROM PLAYING HIT SONG AT FESTIVAL
Pop legends BONEY M were forced to drop one of their most famous hits fro m their set at a music festival in Palestine this week (begs19Jul10) afte r event officials objected to the song’s biblical references.
The ’70s group took to the stage in Ramallah on the West Bank as part o f the 2010 Palestinian International Festival but they were asked to omit Rivers of Babylon from their show because of religious tensions between the Muslim and Jewish communities in the area.
Israel’s occupation of the West Bank has long been an issue of contenti on, with Palestinians questioning the Jewish claim to the Holy Land.
Festival organisers decided the track’s references to the Book of Psalm s, detailing the Jewish people’s desire to return to the biblical land of Israel, "inappropriate" for the event and requested Boney M skip the tun e, reports the Associated Press.
But the decision left the group disappointed because Rivers of Babylon is always a fan favourite.
Frontwoman Maizie Williams says, "I don’t know if it is a political thi ng or what, but they asked us not to do it and we were a bit disappointed that we could not do it because we know that everybody loves this song n o matter what."
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
