The Joy Bangladesh concert, takes place to commemorate the liberation war and brings the country’s youth and talented artists together. But due to the same youth’s blood being spilled on the streets during the quota movement, the backlash has been massive.
As a result, many of the popular bands said to perform there have publicly announced on Facebook that they will not participate at the concert anymore.
Cryptic Fate stated: “Given our focus on themes like patriotism, the Liberation War, injustice, and oppression, it is impossible for us to perform at the upcoming Joy Bangla Concert. So, our answer is 'no.'”
Arbovirus has also announced that they won’t perform, stating: “Arbovirus will never perform at the Joy Bangla concert”
Raffan Imam, known as Popeye, has also decided to cut ties with the concert. Stating “You will never see me perform at a Joy Bangla concert, ever.”
Nemesis has declared that they are boycotting the concert, with an elaborate statement: “Given the recent events over the past two weeks, it's clear that we will never perform at the Joy Bangla Concert again. However, the conversation doesn't end there. We have more to express. We've spoken out before, and now it's time to amplify our voices. We all need to speak up. For 30 years, our generation has grown up in a culture of fear. It often felt like protesting through songs was all we could do. When we were younger, we thought, 'Who would listen to us?' But how long can we live in fear. The current generation is showing us that with courage, we can all speak up and challenge what's wrong. We all aspire to see a just society and to cultivate a culture of truth. Therefore, we must continue speaking out and protesting against injustice. You're doing it, we're doing it, and many more will join. It may take time, but people are waking up.”
Sina Hasan of Bangla Five was the first to denounce the concert. He announced his boycott on July 17, stating: “As an artiste, I am boycotting the 'Joy Bangla' concert. I do not wish to be part of this backslapping event, either as an artiste or as an audience member. If my band members disagree, I am willing to leave Bangla Five, although I have full faith in them that they won’t (disagree).”