Three famous British performers have been blamed of supporting the goals of "Big Tobacco" by agreeing to
participate at an Indonesian music festivity financed by one of the country's biggest cigarette companies.
Multi-platinum selling artist Joss Stone should participate at the Java Jazz Festival this week in the billing which also features Craig David and Lisa Stansfield as performers at a three-day festival estimated to be visited by more than 100,000 people in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
The event's principal sponsor is Djarum, the country's third largest cigarette company, which similar to some other producers specializes in the manufacture of clove-flavored cigarettes called “kreteks”. All invited British stars should perform on a stage advertising one of Djarum's major brands.
Campaigners called on the artists to not take part in the festival, blaming Indonesia of not being able to eradicate on tobacco advertising and permitting companies to advertise their products and lure new young smokers by means of an affiliation with worldwide stars and diverse cultural events.
David, who several weeks ago agreed upon a new deal with Universal records and is planning to start a world tour, declined the statements, stating he promoted healthy lifestyle and was against smoking but legal guidelines against tobacco was an issue for the Indonesian regulators.
Indonesia has the world's greatest smoking rate for men, about 66%. Additionally Indonesian research found a year ago that more than 400,000 children are regular smokers.
The British singers do not have a special agreement with Djarum, which is a component of a conglomerate held by two of Indonesia's wealthiest men and the most notable of some corporate beneficiaries of the three-day festival.
But critics claim that the stars are even so promoting the advertising of cigarettes implying strategies long-since prohibited in other places. The Marlboro Man is still advertised on Indonesian billboards hiking mountains while young women in branded clothes are frequently to be observed at corporate events giving out free samples of
Marlboro cigarettes.
Cigarette sponsorship has been taken away from latest shows by well known American performers. Advertising by Djarum for a Kelly Clarkson concert was removed after strong protests by fans and anti-tobacco organizations while Grammy-winner Alicia Keys required that sponsorship of one of her concerts by another company be eliminated.
