INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
artists visiting Britain and European Union countries, saying it is having a chilling impact on cultural diversity.Analysis shows the UK
could least afford them.African visitors were disproportionately affected, with visa-rejection rates as high as 40-70%, according to
analysis from arts and migration research group the Lago Collective.View image in fullscreenLemn Sissay said applying for a UK or EU visa
Photograph: Ian Davidson/AlamyLemn Sissay, a British poet and broadcaster, said that disproportionate UK and EU visa rejections for African
In Britain, Algeria has the highest visa-rejection rate at 71%, followed by Bangladesh at 53%, while Ghana, Pakistan and Nigeria had
rejection rates of between 30% and 46%.In the year up to March 2024, UK rejection rates were 21% across all nationalities applying,
according to Home Office figures.Bar chart on UK visa application rejection ratesIn March, the UK Home Office denied visas to 47 members of
An outcry forced a U-turn and visas were later granted to the Afghan musicians, aged between 14 and 22.View image in fullscreenAhmad
Sarmast, director of the Portugal-based Afghan Youth Orchestra, said he was shocked at the rejections
Orchestra Olimpia in Pesaro, Italy, earlier this year
Photograph: Roberto Serra/Iguana Press/Getty ImagesIn 2020, the Home Office scrapped a controversial decision-making algorithm for UK visa
attributes.Lokko, who is also an author and founder of the African Futures Institute in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, said of the money from
They are penalising the people who can afford it least
Those who returned to Ghana were called by the embassy, to check they had returned.Emma Nzioka, a producer and DJ from Nairobi known as Coco
Em, who is due to play at Glastonbury next week, said applying for a UK or EU visa was so complicated, costly and unequal that she felt
ready to quit touring.The Kenyan missed a show in Poland because she could not get a Schengen visa appointment in time and only made it to
I paid $290 in health insurance
Last year, Shaw invited Trio Da Kali, a group of griot musicians from Mali, to perform with Gaelic singers in Scotland
renaissance in folk and traditional music over the past 30 years in Scotland has been the opportunity to enjoy music of west Africa, India
Connections festival in Scotland
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
