نحن نقدر للجهات الرسمية عودتها عن قرار المنع، وإن كان متأخرًا، ونرى أن هذا التراجع لم يكن ليحدث لولا ردة الفعل المدافعة عن حرية التعبير والحريات الفنية والثقافية، والمدافعة عن تعددية وتنوّع المجتمع الأردني. إن هذا يعيد الأمل والثقة بإحياء فعاليات ثقافية وفنية في الأردن مستقبًلا.

صورة (1) كتاب من دائرة الآثار العامة إلى محافظ العاصمة بتاريخ 10 آذار 2016 للحصول على موافقة لإقامة الحفل.
صورة (2) كتاب من دائرة الآثار العامة إلى ستارة بتاريخ 25 نيسان 2016 برفض حجز المدرج الروماني.
صورة (3) كتاب من محافظ العاصمة بتاريخ 28 نيسان 2016 بالموافقة على إقامة الحفل.

Dear fans, we were informed by the Governorate of Amman at noon today, Thursday April 28, that they have granted the security approval to hold Mashrou’ Leila’s concert in Amman tomorrow. While we appreciate this step, it came too late, as we did not get a confirmation from the Department of Antiquities to use the Roman Theater, in addition to the impossibility of bringing back a concert this big in less than 24 hours.

We had been informed that the security approval was denied on Sunday, and received an official letter from the Department of Antiquities refusing our request to book the theater on Monday. As a result, we stopped ticket sales, out of moral responsibility towards our fans, while still working on resolving the issue and reversing the decision. We waited for a response until Wednesday afternoon, and when we didn’t get any, we officially announced the cancellation.

We appreciate that the authorities reversed their earlier decision, even if it’s late. We believe this wouldn’t have been possible without the strong reactions from people who believe in freedom of expression and artistic and cultural freedoms, and who stepped up to defend the pluralism and diversity of Jordanian society. This gives us hope and confidence for Jordan to host diverse cultural and artistic events in the future.