Why Yellowface author R F Kuang boycotted the UAE Literature Festival, explained

Kuang said in a public statement that she “respects organised calls for cultural boycotts against genocide from communities directly affected,” and that she would no longer travel to Dubai in light of the “mass atrocities in Sudan.”

In a message shared on Instagram, Kuang wrote that she had “already pulled out,” adding: “I hate that this falls on the people who are doing this most to bring writers together, but I’ve always stood by BDS calls and I continue to do so now.”

A screenshot of the Instagram announcement. (Credit: Threads/@kimberlyyyreads)

In her formal letter to festival organisers, Kuang asked to be removed from programming and promotional materials, writing that she was adhering to the Palestinian BDS National Committee’s recent call and expressing regret for the burden placed on organisers. She said she hoped to participate “when there is no longer a need for a boycott.”

The festival, which is backed by the Emirates Literature Foundation and is often described by its organisers as the Arab world’s largest literary gathering, has not publicly responded to her withdrawal.

What boycott call is Kuang responding to?

Kuang’s decision follows a call by the BDS National Committee asking cultural figures to avoid UAE-linked events.

The committee’s statement, issued in late November, argued that the UAE should be boycotted over what it describes as the country’s support for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of widespread atrocities. The BDS National Committee said the boycott was meant to demonstrate solidarity with “kindred people in Sudan.”

The UAE has rejected these accusations. As reported by AFP on November 19, Emirati officials said they faced “a marked increase in unfounded accusations and deliberate propaganda from the so-called Port Sudan Authority,” referring to Sudan’s army-aligned government. The UAE has repeatedly denied supplying weapons to the RSF, a position it has maintained in statements to the United Nations and international media.

Online activism has contributed to the increased pressure. Public figures such as Greta Thunberg and the rapper Ben Haggerty, who is known by the stage name Macklemore, shared posts promoting the slogan “habibi boycott Dubai,” which campaigners began circulating in mid-November.

What is happening in Sudan?

RSF fighters have seized the Sudanese army’s last major stronghold in the region.(Wikimedia Commons)

Sudan has been engulfed in a civil war since April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces. The RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militias implicated in earlier atrocities in Darfur.

The United Nations and multiple international rights groups have accused the RSF of committing mass killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement in Darfur and elsewhere. Reports intensified after the fall of the Sudanese city of El-Fasher in late October 2025, when, according to UN experts and humanitarian organisations, RSF fighters seized the Sudanese army’s last major stronghold in the region.

Sudanese officials have repeatedly accused the UAE of providing the RSF with weapons and logistical support, allegations the UAE “categorically denies,” according to AFP. In recent statements cited by AFP, the UAE foreign ministry condemned crimes against humanity in Sudan and criticised what it called “fake news” about Emirati involvement.

US officials have also addressed the issue. AFP reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on November 18 that “some country, and we know who they are” must stop sending weapons to the RSF, but he did not name the UAE directly. However, international political pressure on the UAE remains limited.

Why does this matter for the literary world?

Kuang’s withdrawal shows how authors and cultural institutions are being increasingly drawn into geopolitical disputes. The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has long positioned itself as a major international gathering with broad regional reach, and for many readers in the Gulf, it offers rare access to globally known writers.

Boycott calls,  including those tied to conflicts in Russia, Myanmar and Hong Kong in recent years, have prompted writers to reassess participation in state-supported festivals and cultural events.

Kuang said she hopes to attend the festival “when there is no longer a need for a boycott.”