John Legend defends decision to do Rwanda show despite ongoing war

American singer and songwriter John Legend has defended his decision to perform in Kigali, Rwanda last weekend against public backlash over Rwanda’s involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In recent weeks, it has been widely reported that Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have seized two of the largest cities in mineral-rich eastern Congo.
It has been reported that Rwanda has sent 4,000 troops across the border to support the rebels, although President Paul Kagame told CNN he was unaware of any Rwandan troops in Congo.
With hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians having fled their homes, Rwanda has come under intense criticism for its involvement in destabilizing DR Congo.
On this basis, some critics had to cancel the Grammy winner for not pulling out of the Rwanda concert to make a statement.
Another Grammy winner, Nigerian Afrobeats star Tems, pulled out of the concert for the same reason, saying she would never want to be insensitive to real-world issues.
“So I recently promoted my show in Rwanda without realizing that there is an ongoing conflict between Rwanda and Congo. I never ever intend to be insensitive to real-world issues, and I sincerely apologize if this came across that way. I simply had no idea this was going on. My heart goes out to those affected. Conflict is no joke and I truly hope and pray for peace at this time”. Tems shared on X.
However, Legend went ahead with his schedule and performed for the first time in Africa at a sold-out event at the 10,000-capacity seater BK Arena.
Legend has since defended his decision, explaining why he didn’t pull out of the Move Africa concert despite not being paid for his performance.
“I’m aware of what’s happening and I’m aware of the calls for me not to do this show, but I believe that the mission of Move Afrika is still important,” he told the BBC.
John went on to say that he felt it was his duty to help develop touring opportunities on the African continent, which has always been overlooked by A-listers when they go on so-called world tours. After his show in Kigali, John Legend stated that he didn’t feel it was right to punish the people of Rwanda and other countries who traveled to attend his show when they disagreed with the leaders of those countries.

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