Music is like love. It transcends death.
Music is international and it must remain above politics.
By remaining a free expression, music can contribute to keeping the channels of communication open, to foster peaceful moments, and hopefully to encourage justice.
Celine’s songs are about love. Love is for all.
Céline Dion has fans around the world, including Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, North Korea, etc.
Céline has friends who may be Palestinians, Arab-Israelis, or Israelis. They may be tourists too. Who knows?
Some fans may be Arabs or Muslims and they would be attending her concert in Israel. Who knows?
Why is Dr. Amir Khadir, former MLA (or “député” from Québec Solidaire), being a bully to Céline Dion, circulating a petition to force her to boycott Israel?
https://www.journaldequebec.com/2020/02/18/une-petition-demande-a-celine-dion-de-boycotter-israel
Who is he to tell her how to live her life and her career?
She was supposed to sing in Beirut this summer, but she sadly has cancelled her tour due to the circumstances there.
Imagine if one day things change and a certain lobby in Canada decides to call for the boycott of events in Lebanon because its current (or future?) governments are backed by the Hezbollah, closed to Iran (Dr. Khadir himself is of Iranian origins; he can imagine why Bambi is saying this, if he ever reads her post ?).
Would it be OK to resort to boycott then?
Why now and why not then?
Why then and why not now?
What if someone decides to boycott another entity because of another cause he/she thinks is morally superior?
Why are we getting into this totalitarian logic and imposing our own views or values on others?
Why are we getting into silencing artists? Arts is above boundaries and political conflicts.
Bambi is writing this and she has the UTMOST respect for the Palestinian cause that she has defended in many ways over her lifetime, and especially in her youth.
She was born in Lebanon, which was dragged into civil war in big part following this historical injustice in the neighbourhood of her birth country.
Bambi knows Israel way too well. No, she has never visited (she cannot) and she is not interested anyways. Israel came to her rather, without asking her permission. It has occupied her country for 20 years and invaded her Beirut when she was 10 years old. Israel has also bombarded her country many times since then (thank you Hezbollah/Iran for putting Lebanon at increased risk of Israeli wrath ☹).
Yet, Bambi is against boycotting Israel.
Against boycotting Iran (controlling Lebanon now).
Against boycotting Syria (another former occupier of Lebanon).
Against boycotting Saudi Arabia (would have perhaps dreamed to be in charge of Lebanon now, instead of Iran).
She is against boycotting energy companies, especially when the latter are Canadian ones. She also has other logical reasons not to endorse the latter.
In sum, Bambi is with music, arts, free thinking, free trade (which is currently blocked in our country because of radical protesters), and free expression of feelings and thoughts.
Ms. Céline Dion, you are free to sing on the moon if you wish or on “Planet B that does not exist”, as Greta Thunberg would have said.
Bambi is a fan, even if she has never been to one of your concerts (yet?).
Bambi respects your free will. Just be safe… and please keep on singing, as the world (and especially the bloody Middle East!) needs your voice… and your humanity!
