Yesterday the Culture Department announced the awarding of the Culture Promotion Prize to the Basel DJ and music producer Leila Moon (*1991). She followed the recommendation of the external jury. She made her choice in September. The jury based its recommendation, among other things, on the DJ’s networking work within the young cultural scene and Basel’s nightlife.
After the jury’s decision, the artist published a statement on her Instagram account that was unknown to the culture department until yesterday and has now been deleted. This is about boycotting institutions that work with Israeli artists who do not express themselves in a certain way. The Culture Department is clearly against such a boycott. Such exclusion criteria when collaborating with other artists are in clear contradiction to the aim of the award, which is intended to honor the networking work in the Basel music and club scene. The matter is now being carefully examined. This also includes listening to the artist and talking to the jury. These clarifications will take some time. The award ceremony on November 29th is therefore canceled.