Nicki Minaj's Controversial Show Goes On in Angola
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Nicki Minaj has performed a concert in Angola despite protests from a human rights group.
Minaj on Saturday headlined Show Unitel Boas Festas, a so-called “Christmas festival” held in Luanda, the capital of Angola.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) had earlier asked Minaj to not perform at the event by way of a strongly-worded statement.
In a message posted late last week on its website under the headline, "Nicki Minaj Shouldn’t Be Performing for Dictators,” the HRF wrote: “Jose Eduardo dos Santos has ruled Angola since seizing power in the fall of 1979. A cunning tyrant, dos Santos survived a legacy of colonialism and devastating civil war to consolidate control over the presidency, military, and judicial system, all while crushing independent journalism and civil society,”
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HRF notes in a statement on its website. “He uses rigged elections to fake democratic credentials, and his suppression of dissent is ruthless. As part of a national wave of arrests his regime has put 17 activists on trial for reading books on nonviolent resistance. Earlier this year, his security officers carried out and covered up a massacre of hundreds of civilians.”
For 36 years, HRF noted, dos Santos has “exploited Angola’s vast natural resource wealth to build an enormous business empire, enriching his family and positioning them at the top of the country’s key industries.” The concert’s sponsor Unitel is part-owned by the dos Santos family.
Before hitting the stage, Minaj shared a photo of herself with the president’s daughter Isabel dos Santos along with the caption: "She's just the 8th richest woman in the world. (At least that's what I was told by someone b4 we took this photo) Lol. Yikes!!!!! GIRL POWER!!!!! This motivates me soooooooooo much!!!!"
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Angola ranked 161st out of 175 countries in the 2014 Transparency International corruption index. Dos Santos has been in power there for 36 years.
The singer responded to criticism on Twitter: "Every tongue that rises up against me in judgment shall be condemned."
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Minaj is not the first star to take flak for performing for controversial figures. She joins an elite club that includes Beyonce, Kanye West, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Sting, Mariah Carey and Nelly Furtado
I mean, she got a fake butt to make it in this industry. Y'all really thought this was gonna stop her? In other words, it's all about the money to her.
