John Legend Defends Rwanda Concert

American singer and songwriter John Legend has addressed his decision to go through with his performance at a concert in Rwanda regardless of the recent outrage over the country’s involvement in the ongoing war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The singer in an interview held the opinion that the citizens are not to be punished for the decision of their leaders. In his words, “I don’t believe that we should punish the people of Rwanda and punish the people of other countries when we disagree with their leaders.”
Legend also revealed that he was not being paid for the performance and felt it was his duty to help “grow touring capabilities” on the African continent, which is often overlooked by international stars.

Despite positive reactions from fans at the sold-out show, the social media backlash was intense enough to force Legend to delete an Instagram post promoting the event
Fellow singer Tems cancelled out of a concert in Rwanda with intentions to avoid being insensitive to real world issues
In recent weeks, M23 rebels, reportedly backed by Rwanda, have seized the two largest cities in the mineral-rich east of the DRC
There’s been evidence that Rwanda has sent 4,000 troops across the border to support the rebels. This has led to major displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians and an uprise in violence including the rape of children
Belgium-based activist Denise Zanesa argued that “performing under the banner” of Rwanda “would be akin to collaborating with oppression itself”
US-based Simone Umba accused Rwanda of leveraging Black American culture to “normalize their terrorizing of eastern Congo”