Due to outrage in Estonian culture circles, action movie star Steven Seagal has been blotted out from August Blues Festival programme.
Steven Seagal removed from Haapsalu blues festival programme
18th July 2014, 12:48
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In their press release, festival host Indrek Ditmann and programme manager Raul Ukareda said they were unwilling to have the people associate August Blues Festival – the Augustibluus – with anything negative and have therefore cancelled the performance by Mr Seagal from the festival in Haapsalu, Estonia.
«The festival Augustibluus is a musical event far removed from anything political. From the very beginning, it has been surrounded by a positive aura. In addition to the music, we at Augustibluus consider the warm and friendly atmosphere its vital asset, for which we and the city of Haapsalu have always been praised by audience and artists alike,» said the organisers.
«To many in Estonia, it came as a major surprise that the action movie hero is a blues musician. Likewise, the organisers and numerous others were unpleasantly surprised by his political views and [public] statements,» continued the organisers.
They underlined that during its European tour Steven Seagal’s Blues Band has also performed in Lithuania, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia; the concerts have carried no political message. «We hoped the Estonian public would first and foremost see in Steven Seagal an actor and a musician. Turns out, [what they saw first was] rather a politician and a henchman,» said the organisers.
The blues festival Augustibluus happens in Haapsalu on August 1st and 2nd.