JOHN LEGEND BLASTED OVER RWANDA CONCERT

As Rwanda faces increasing criticism for supporting the M23 militia in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), public figures, including musicians, are feeling the heat to boycott the East African state.

However, John Legend forged ahead to headline a concert in Kigali on 21 February, organised by ‘Move Afrika,’ a touring initiative by NGO Global Citizen to create economic opportunities for young Africans in the creative sectors. @johnlegend stood by his choice to perform in Rwanda, saying that the Rwandan people shouldn’t be punished for their leaders’ choices.

However, in this video, Legend received pushback from Carine Kanimba, a human-rights activist and the daughter of Paul Rusesabagina, the hero portrayed in the film, ‘Hotel Rwanda.’ Rusesabagina is known for providing refuge to more than 1,200 Hutus and Tutsis during the 1994 gencide by sheltering people in a hotel. He fled Rwanda in 1996 due to threats from his outspoken criticism of the Kagame government. Then, in 2020, Rusesabagina was forcibly returned after boarding a flight in Dubai. The United Arab Emirates' relationship to Rwanda involves buying gold looted from the DRC and smuggled through Rwanda, per multiple sources. In September 2021, a Rwandan court convicted @rusesabaginapaul (IG) on trrorism-related charges, sentencing him to 25 years. Following a letter requesting a pardon in October 2022, his sentence was commuted, and he was released in March 2023.

Carine criticised Legend for accepting what she termed ‘dirty dollars’ from a dictator, accusing him of ignoring the suffering Rwandan youth as they are dispatched to exploit the DRC.

In a contrasting move, Nigerian singer Tems (@temsbaby on X), also a Grammy winner, decided to cancel a 22 March concert in Kigali, citing her awareness of the real-world implications of the three-decade-long, Western-backed conflict over natural resources that had k*lled at least 6 million people by 2010 and internally displaced more than 7 million by 2024.

Video credit: @ckanimba (IG + X)

Sources

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly8nzpwnn4o

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/10/rwanda-rusesabagina-was-forcibly-disappeared

https://forbiddenstories.org/paul-rusesabagina-no-one-can-silence-me/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58604468

https://www.okayafrica.com/tems-rwanda-concert-cancellation-drc-unrest/