Official in Maldives welcomes Akon in the country, saying 'We are very happy he is planning to come and perform.'
Akon has found a new country to host the Sri Lankan concert he was forced to abandon last week following a protest by local Buddhists - he will now play the planned show in the Maldives. The "Smack That" singer was due to perform in Colombo on April 24 but the date was scrapped when Buddhist activists staged an angry protest against a sacrilegious video outside the headquarters of the promoters - prompting immigration authorities to cancel the star's visa.
Akon has found a new country to host the Sri Lankan concert he was forced to abandon last week following a protest by local Buddhists - he will now play the planned show in the Maldives. The "Smack That" singer was due to perform in Colombo on April 24 but the date was scrapped when Buddhist activists staged an angry protest against a sacrilegious video outside the headquarters of the promoters - prompting immigration authorities to cancel the star's visa.
The activists were upset after spotting scantily-clad women dancing in front of a Buddha statue in Akon's new video "Sexy Chick". Akon apologized for the furore, insisting he had no idea about the statue and was unaware he had offended religious groups. But he was still forced to accept the date would never take place.
Now, however, the star's planned date has been saved thanks to government officials in the Maldives after they reached out to the singer with the proposal. Akon's rep has yet to officially comment on the reports but President Mohamed Nasheed's press secretary Mohamed Zuhair claims the hitmaker has accepted the offer to play in the Maldives.
Zuhair says, "We are very happy he is planning to come and perform." The concert is scheduled to take place a day earlier than planned, on April 23.
AKON Personal life
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri instead of Senegal because his family didn't want to have to go through immigration problems and so he and his siblings could get a better education. He has been in jail for a total of five years. In late 2005, his manager Robert Montanez was killed in a drive by shooting, the album Konvicted is dedicated to him. Akon was also in the car and was shot in the shoulder, however he made a full recovery. He is a Muslim, and cites his religion for his polygamist lifestyle; he has three wives. He drives an orange Lamborghini Gallardo. He also has his own charity for underpriviliged children in Africa called United For Africa.[citation needed] Akon also owns a diamond mine in South Africa and denies the existence of conflict diamonds, noting in an interview with the British Independent, "I don't even believe in conflict diamonds...That's just a movie. Think about it. Ain't nobody thought about nothing about no conflict diamonds until the movie came out." Although he had a previous occupation as a drug dealer, he states that he has never used drugs. He also states that in spite of his previous criminal history he has turned his life around, as sung in "Tired Of Runnin" more details
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