Location of Afrobanana festival again up in the air

Days after announcing a venue had been found for the popular AfroBanana festival organisers said on Tuesday the event was on the move again, and will not be held at the planned site in Dali.

“Due to the social character of the festival, we find it necessary that the festival is welcomed by the community hosting it,” they said.

As such, despite the environmental suitability of the site and the compatibility with the land, the spirit of the festival would not be in line with the hostility that has met the event in Dali, AfroBana added.

Nonetheless, details for a new location cannot be announced at this stage, one of the organisers told the Cyprus Mail.

“We will be able to disclose more information at the end of the week.”

With the festival set to take place between July 13 and 16, time is running out, as the event has been marred with a host of issues over its location from the onset.

Last week, Dali residents complained the planned hosting of the AfroBanana festival would impact local wildlife, citing risks to a species of spider that has not been found anywhere else in the world.

The organisers hit back stressing the very essence of the festival is in line with respect to the environment, citing the findings of an independent expert, they claim did not have any concerns to raise.

Earlier in the month, Afrobanana festival issued an urgent call for support, saying they had been repeatedly denied a licence from the authorities to host their event at various locations this summer.