At least 80 acts and speakers have dropped out of the Texas event as part of a boycott against US weapons companies.
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Zakaria Ibrahim’s life saw the rise and fall of simsimiyya music in Port Said, before its reemergence in the revolution.
The contest prides itself on being nonpolitical, but Israel’s inclusion threatens to overshadow the music this year.
Amid institutional racism in the US, album artwork sends pointed messages about Black culture and politics.