London-born music creative M.I.A. (real name Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam) has claimed she was pulled from an upcoming British Vogue feature because of anti-vaccine statements she made on Twitter.
On Wednesday (April 21, 2020), she published (and has since deleted) what appeared to be a screen capture of a message that read, “Hey Maya – sadly [editor-in-chief] Edward [Enninful]/Vogue has decided to withdraw the offer for vogue spread in August due to vaccination comments…”
A second quote read: “From the editor: ‘considering our August is an issue where we’re chronicling the struggles of the [National Health Service] to cope while a vaccine is tried to be made we don’t feel we can have her involved. It just wouldn’t be right. All of our issues July-September will be supporting the front line health care workers and we need to be respectful of them and all they are doing until a vaccine exists.”
Under the screen capture, M.I.A. wrote, “anti vaxer is your term. It didn’t exist before this binary addiction everyone has to separate everything into this and that. Anti this anti that. I prefer to not make everything so black and white.”
While British Vogue didn’t comment on M.I.A.’s claim, in a statement provided to the Guardian, a spokesperson for the publication wrote, “British Vogue supports the NHS and everyone on the frontline who are protecting people from the virus and saving lives every day.”
M.I.A. has been actively commenting on the impact of COVID-19 and on March 25th, she wrote on Twitter, “If I have to choose the vaccine or chip I’m gonna choose death – YALA,” a reference to her 2013 single, “Y.A.L.A,” an acronym for You Always Live Again.
On April 3rd, she clarified, “I’m not against vaccines. I’m against companies who care more for profit than humans. I care for better track record that proves this. I care that African countries are not always the testing ground. I don’t want it coming from banks / tech /hedge fund sector and I want a choice.”
I'm not against vaccines. I'm against companies who care more for profit then humans. I care for better track record that proves this. I care that African countries are not always the testing ground. I don't want it coming from banks / tech /hedge fund sector and I want a choice. https://t.co/ygjZeqNFQ3
— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) April 3, 2020
If I have to choose the vaccine or chip I'm gonna choose death – YALA
— M.I.A (@MIAuniverse) March 25, 2020
