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Gigs & Festivals
Akon denied Sri Lankan visa
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 25 March 2010
Akon has been refused entry to Sri Lanka following that previously reported riot by Buddhists protesting against an upcoming concert by the R&B star.
As previously reported, on Monday 200 people gathered outside the headquarters of the Maharaja Broadcasting And Television Network, which was sponsoring the planned concert. The group were angry that the video for Akon’s David Guetta collaboration, ‘Sexy Chick’, features scantily clad women dancing in front of a statue of the Buddha, and injured four Maharaja employees by throwing rocks at their building.
Organisers of the concert, the American Talent Agency, subsequently postponed the show, which was due to take place next month, saying in a statement: “Due to the recent events that transpired yesterday in Sri Lanka, we have decided to postpone Akon’s upcoming show. We are working diligently with the local promoters to ensure the safety of both our talent and the fans before committing to a new date. Akon is looking forward to performing for the people of Sri Lanka and we hope to have this situation resolved in the coming weeks”.
However, shortly afterwards, the Sri Lankan government put paid to that idea by announcing that it would not grant the singer a visa to enter the country. The Director General of the government’s Information Department, Anusha Palpita, told reporters: “Taking into consideration the allegations levelled against the singer Akon, the government had decided not to issue him a visa to conduct the concert in Sri Lanka, [due to him] defaming Buddhism in his music videos”.
Akon, meanwhile, issued an apology for the offence caused, saying in a statement: “I was not aware that the statue was even on the set of the video until now. I would never set out to offend or desecrate anyone’s religion or religious beliefs. I myself am a spiritual man, so I can understand why they are offended, but violence is never the answer and I am disheartened to hear about what happened yesterday in Sri Lanka”.
You can watch the super spiritual video for ‘Sexy Chick’ (or ‘Sexy Bitch’, to give it its album title) here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9hazmsUxrM
