‘More shows cancelled with no end’
Back in August last year, Kenyan artist Slikback took to X to air out his frustrations about the “unending bs with visas”, which forced him to cancel a number of live shows. One of the most thrilling artists in electronic music at present, the artist whose real name is Freddy Mwaura Njau has graced the line-ups of the continent’s most respected music festivals – think Dekmantel, Le Guess Who? And Rewire. Yet obtaining artist visas has been an ongoing struggle, routinely getting in the way of him being able to fulfil club and festival bookings – at 2022’s Rewire in The Hague, he live-streamed his set from his bedroom in Nairobi because of it.
“The visa process is always stressful and very unpredictable. I’ve had to cancel many, many shows because a visa got delayed,” he says. “I ultimately have to prioritise some territories over others during tours. For example, if I apply for a visa to Europe, it can take less than a week. However, if I apply for a UK visa, it could take a month or more. If I planned to play in multiple countries there is a chance one country will hold my passport for weeks during the application process, and I end up missing shows in other territories, which has happened a few times.”
“As a Kenyan citizen, I cannot request a second passport. So, if I am applying for a certain country or continent in the meantime I cannot travel because my passport is held by the Embassy, meaning that you have to say no to shows and talks, which are the main source of income for most artists,” agrees Lord Spikeheart, real name Martin Kanja, the rising metalist and former collaborator within the experimental electronic collective Nyege Nyege. He adds, “Also our passports have fewer pages than EU passports.”
This month, a report came out outlining the “humiliating and costly” rejection rates experienced by African and Asian touring artists when applying for UK and EU visas. The analysis by the migration research group LAGO collective revealed a price hike in early 2023 of 15 per cent for work and tourist visas, as well as the inequality in rejection levels by country, with African visitors facing disproportional rejection rates of as high as 70 per cent.
“The whole VISA application process is time and energy-consuming. It is also quite expensive, especially for an African citizen,” explains Kanja. “You can easily spend $300 or more for your visa. And if you consider that the average salary for an African with a regular job in Uganda or Kenya is $200-$500 monthly, this is not really something everybody can afford.”
“The short-term Schengen Visa which is the visa most of the artists apply for, allows you a limited number of days in Europe, which is 90 in total. This means that you really have to plan your shows and tours in advance. You cannot afford to travel to Europe for one or two shows even if they are paid well and then come back after one week for another show, because the costs of travels will eat most of your income,” he expands. “At the same time, you cannot afford to have 10-15 days off in Europe between your shows, which would make totally sense logistically, because this will eat up all the days on your visa!”
The report also highlights how unsuccessful applicants still have to pay visa fees, which are non-refundable, despite disproportionately affecting visitors from low and middle-income countries. Last year, the UK raised £44 million in fees for visa applications that were subsequently rejected, while the EU raised approximately €130 million. “It’s challenging, and I think not everybody is aware of the extra costs, extra stress and limitations,” adds Kanja. “Getting a visa is not for sure. Even if your visa is approved 20 times, it can always be denied. It gives you a lot of anxiety.”
There’s an irony to the issues faced by artists to obtain visas: the UK and Europe pride themselves on having diverse music scenes, and profit off this reputation. Yet the indignity and cost of having to undergo such lengthy visa processes are damaging for artists whose career trajectories are dependent on high-profile bookings and festival slots. “I’m in Poland, where I have a child now. I applied for a short-term residency but am yet to receive it, even after nearly one and a half years. It was supposed to only take two months,“ says Njau. “I’m unable to leave until I get it, unable to play any shows outside Poland. It’s a needlessly complicated process with no way to ask for an update.”
The report also states that these laws are not only problematic for artists, but also harmful for the countries’ music scenes – and it’s true. Insularity is detrimental for culture, which means that everyone‘s a loser.