TV host Lamis al-Hadidi criticized the cancellation of US rapper Travis Scott’s concert in Egypt, even after he was granted approval, and shared a statement by the rapper on her official Twitter account on Thursday evening.
“I am writing to you to address the blatant inaccurate reports that have apparently lead to permits being paused for my concert scheduled for July 28, 2023 at the Giza Pyramids. My understanding is that the Egyptians Musicians Syndicate took this action in response to bot generated fake information regarding my concerts and character,” the statement read.
“Specifically, they referred to ‘strange rituals’ that ‘contradict the cultural identity of the Egyptian people’,” it added.
Scott referred to a concert he gave in Saudi Arabia in April for a crowd of 70,000 fans, where no complications occurred.
“There is not a single lyric I have written or recording I have made that advocates or endorses anything derogatory to any people, much less the Egyptian people. Nothing in my music lends itself to any kind of ‘strange ritual’,” he continued.
“I am a great admirer of Egyptian culture and history. That is why I selected the iconic Pyramids of Giza to perform and preview my first album release in five years.”
The rapper called the decision a “Drastic step that would unravel months of planning and for which he was previously granted permission.”
“I am from Houston, Texas. I grew up in a family that respects people, loves God, respects Allah and attends church regularly,” he said.
Regarding security concerns related to his concerts, Scott referred to the “AstroWorld” tragedy in 2021 saying it was an isolated incident as he “performed hundreds of concerts before that event, and many concerts since, without a single incident.”
Unless organizers are permitted to access the site of Giza pyramids by five pm Cairo time on July 20, they will not be able to make the targeted July 28 show date, according to Scott’s statement.
“Please don’t let the online spread of false information and hatred derail this event which will bring positive and international attention to Egypt, its economy and it’s amazing treasures,” Scott concluded.
Hadidi commented under the statement, writing: “This is a summary of his message.. so what are we to do?”
Egypt cancels controversial concert
The Musical Professions Syndicate on Monday evening announced the cancellation of Scott’s concert.
In an official statement it cited its concerns over ‘strange rituals’ performed at Scott’s concerts, which they called inconsistent with Egyptian values.
Hadidi criticized the statement, saying: “We were surprised that the Syndicate of Musical Professions issued a statement saying that it will cancel Travis Scott’s concert upon people’s demands. It is clear that they had no objection [to the concert], but that social media talk annoyed them.”
The syndicate issued a statement inconsistent with Egypt’s tourism reputation based on random opinions on social media, she said.
The rapper was granted permits from both security authorities and the Ministry of Tourism, Hadidi said.
Hadidi continued: “After all this, the syndicate issues a statement in this way. This is not scientific and is not appropriate for tourism or the syndicate. We should have stated from the beginning that they do not want [the concert]. But we [approve] the concert and then we say we do not want it?”
She warned that by agreeing to the syndicate’s statements, the Ministry of Tourism and the security authorities have harmed Egypt’s reputation as a tourist destination.
