Kayne West may have been a drawcard for the Mawazine Festival in Rabat, but his attitude towards the Festival's message of peace and tolerance, tarnished his previous star quality.
As the HipHop website http://www.allhiphop.com reported, West, who is no stranger to shocking moments, performed “Jesus Walks” in front of a Muslim crowd of 50,000. While the song’s message quieted the crowd somewhat and there was a language barrier, they still recited the lyrics to his more popular hits from the last seven years, like “All of The Lights” and “Gold Digger.”
Besides on-stage chat, West did not speak to the press, much to the disappointment of the international and Moroccan journalists that assembled to interview and get footage of his performance. It was this lack of press interviews to help promote the festival’s theme of peace, hope, and tolerance that tainted his stay in Morocco. Also locals were disturbed by the amount he was paid. West received a reported $1M for his nearly two-hour performance. One festival organizer who wished to remain anonymous said, “In this poor country, we could have built two or three schools with that money. The least he could have done was sent a message of hope to the people via the media.”
His assistants somehow also failed to get the message and only said “Kanye doesn’t do press or photos. Sorry, he just doesn’t.” It's a shame.
However, rusted-on fans described West's two hour gig as "awesome".
On the other hand, Yusef Islam (see our story here) and other performers made a point of stressing the festival's message, with Julian Marley speaking on the job of being a global peace ambassador in the footsteps of his father.
The festival will officially close on May 29 with a special tribute concert featuring Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Shakira, Earth Wind & Fire, and others in remembrance of the 17 victims who died in the recent bombing in Marrakesh.
12 comments:
One MILLION!? If you never listened to this cat ever again, it couldn't be enough to make up for his advirace. One MILLION?! Does anyone get that this country is in need of SCHOOLS?! Why should someone who's hot on stage get such an income to snort up his nose?
I think I prefer Kanye West mentioning the prophet 'iissa in one song, to Shakira parading around the stage in clothing that is decidedly un-Islamic, looking pretty much ariana and literally simulating sex acts. Just as I object to tourists coming into the medina and ignoring the standards of the culture here, I don't like a pop-star doing that. We are guests in this country, and should honour the mores of the country. I'm surprised that VFF hasn't commented on this, rather than focusing on another pop-star mentioning a prophet revered in Islam.
Oh hsuma! If you had been there 'abdul, you would have felt the same way about Kayne, he is just an egotist greedy for money. Shakira was fine, and "sex acts"? Oh please, this is 2011 not 1411 and the crowd loved it. Your objections belong in the dark ages. We love visitors, we depend on visitors and how they dress reflects on them, and is not for us to judge.
Jedidiah Palosaari? Sounds Suomen, poika and sounds evangelical.
By the way, thank you for the blog. Kiitos paljon pojat!
Just a reminder to people posting comments to concentrate on the topic, not the poster. As they say, play the ball, not the man!
@Kivisaari ~ se ei ole mitään!
Great blog and good story. Shukran khoya!
The over-zealous comment by the so-called "abdul muhib" is very far wrong I am thinking. He could check with the official Moroccan Government view of Shakira. Report on MAP says"Shakira gives stunning performance at the end of Mawazine Festival...The megastar also performed skilful belly dancing sequences especially when singing her hit Spanish language single “Ojos asi”, which features a Middle Eastern melody.
Your strange "abdul" can read http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/home/shakira_gives_stunni/view
Thanking you all for chance to say what I think.
Kivisaari: Yes, I'm Suomen, but I'm not "evangelical", nor am I entirely clear how one's name can be so.
Fatima, etc.: I appreciate you're sharing your viewpoint. I am sharing mine as well. It is based on what I viewed, and how I felt when viewing it. I know there were plenty of others that I've talked with on the street who felt the same way, when they saw her perform. It is great that we can have differences of opinions on different issues.
@Driss: I think you represent the spirit of hospitality of Moroccans so well. I find Moroccans always so welcoming, and considerate, and open to visitors. You are to be commended.
I am an expatriate, and so I am a guest in your country. I therefore am going to be equally offended when someone who is also an expatriate does not show up Westerners well. You, as a Moroccan, are doing your duty as a host. I must do my duty as a guest, and be offended when those who come to your country make no attempt to abide by the standards and culture of the country.
@Fatima: I missed your personal attacks the first time around. "So-called". "strange". Quote-marks. I think you are confused.
On the internet, it is standard for the past 50 years to use avatars. Abdul Muhib is mine. Has been for twenty years now, seven years on blogspot. You may be a newbie and unaware of how the internet works. Maybe you came on only ten years ago. I don't know. This is how it works. Welcome to the world wide web.
Post a Comment