The singer agreed to perform for “corrupt” president Eduardo dos Santos

Dec 20, 2013 12:47 GMT  ·  By
Mariah Carey gets blasted by human rights activits for her concert in Angola
   Mariah Carey gets blasted by human rights activits for her concert in Angola

Mariah Carey accepted to do a performance in Angola for a reported $1 million (€731,449) for the family of Angola president Jose Eduardo dos Santos. Now, the singer is under fire from Human Rights foundation since dos Santos is regarded as a corrupt politician who has reportedly ordered the deaths of many opposing his regime.

The concert was a two-hour performance by Carey and it was organized by the Angolan Red Cross. The main sponsor of the event was Unitel, a mobile phone company that happens to be owned by Dos Santos' daughter Isabel, who is also the president of the Angolan Red Cross.

Human Rights Foundation Thos Halvorssen said in a statement that “Mariah Carey can't seem to get enough dictator cash, reportedly more than $1 million this time,” also referring to another show the singer did for Muammar Gaddafi five years ago.

Halvorssen goes on, “Now, she goes from private performances to public displays of support and credibility for one of Africa's chief human rights violators and most corrupt tyrants. It is the sad spectacle of an international artist purchased by a ruthless police state to entertain and whitewash the father-daughter kleptocracy that has amassed billions in ill-gotten wealth while the majority of Angola lives on less than $2 a day.”

After the Gaddafi scandal, Carey issued an apology, claiming she had no idea who she was singing for, “I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess. Ultimately we as artists are to be held accountable. Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from. We need to be more aware and take more responsibility regardless of who books our shows.”

The HRF is not only targeting Mariah Carey. Earlier this year, Jennifer Lopez and Kanye West were both criticized for doing shows for dictators in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, respectively.