Bureaucracy is turning Britain into a cultural backwater | Ian Birrell

Performers from non-European countries are taking Britain off the playlist because border controls are too stringentIdrissa Soumaoro should have been rehearsing with the celebrated Malian musicians Amadou & Mariam for a show at the Manchester international festival when I called him. Instead, he was stuck in a hotel in Senegal, whiling away the hours watching television and chatting to the staff with whom he is fast becoming friendly.Soumaoro, one of the most respected musicians in west Africa, ...

Read full article Share article