Folk Arts Oxford has issued a statement reiterating its commitment to diversity, equality and anti-racism ahead of this year's Folk Weekend.
It comes after folk music promoter Geoff Smith was forced to insist 'I am not a racist' and state that his Twitter account had been hacked after historic offensive tweets came to light.
The organiser of Oxford Music and Folk (OMAF) has since been boycotted by musicians.
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Folk Arts Oxford creative producer Rachel Williams said: "As you have highlighted, musicians and folk organisations alike have been shocked by what we have read on Twitter and all have been quick to distance ourselves from this particular promoter."
The team, which is not connected to Oxford Music and Folk, has issued the following statement.
"Folk Weekend returns to Oxford in just over a week and the team are excited to be bringing music, dance and joy to streets and venues again.
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"Since the festival’s inception in 2012 the founder, Cat McGill and the team of volunteers behind it, have been committed to inclusion and accessibly.
"The city and the people of Oxford have always been at its heart.
"Ensuring access for all has been a constant aim – providing good physical access in our venues, offering differing ticket prices based on ability to pay, and having a wide range of activities that don’t cost to attend, such as morris dancing and free stages.
"Following news stories in the last couple of weeks, Folk Weekend: Oxford would like to reiterate their commitment to diversity, equality, and anti-racism.
"Back in 2019, planning for a festival after a two-year break, they made the commitment not to allow full face black make-up in morris sides.
"Regardless of the history of black make-up for some traditions of morris dancing, the FWO team took the stance that the tradition had moved on, that full face black make-up was not desirable or appropriate for a modern festival as it was a practice that members of our community could find upsetting and offensive.
"In 2022 we were proud to host the fabulous Angeline Morrison who in the same year brought out the profound The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience.
"Her show last year was a stunning event; both challenging and thought provoking. We wish we’d brought it to a larger audience.
"Performers like Angeline, who both educate and challenge, are ones that we would like to bring to an Oxford folk audience in the future and thankfully are becoming more prominent in the folk scene here in the UK.
The folk world has, in the past, fought against racism.
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"Folk Against Fascism was born in 2008 to counteract the attempted infiltration of the folk scene by followers of far-right organisations. Sometimes organisations must take a stand, and Folk Weekend: Oxford will do so this year.
"As well as providing a weekend of fabulous music and dance from around the country we will welcome dance troops that claim heritage from elsewhere in Europe, and we are excited to have the Stephania Ukrainian dancers as part of our dance programme.
"The bal (dance) in St Barnabas on the Saturday afternoon will celebrate music and dance styles from France and Sweden.
"From the festival hub in The Covered Market this year we will be handing out leaflets on how folk enthusiasts can fight racism around our city - and come and claim free badges that will shout out folkies’ aversion to racism."
Folk Weekend starts on Friday April 14 and continues through to Sunday evening. More information and links to tickets are on www.folkweekendoxford.co.uk
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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris
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