The Human Rights Foundation pens an open letter to Nicki Minaj asking her to reconsider performing at the Unitel Boas Festas in Angola....
Human Rights Foundation head Thor Halvorssen writes in part,
Dear Ms. Minaj,
According to reliable information provided by Human Rights Foundation (HRF) contacts in Angola, you will travel to Luanda to perform at a “Christmas Festival” taking place on December 19, 2015.
As you might know, Unitel, a mobile telephone company controlled by Isabel dos Santos (daughter of Angolan dictator José Eduardo dos Santos) is financing your performance.
I am writing to urgently inform you of the human rights crisis in Angola; to explain the role that dictator dos Santos has played in violating the rights of millions of Angolans; and to request that, in view of your status as a global personality, you cancel your performance. Ms. Minaj, the payment you are receiving from your Angolan sponsors is the result of government corruption and human rights violations.
During their brutal three-decade authoritarian rule, the dos Santos family has exploited Angola’s diamond and oil wealth to amass an illegitimate fortune while maintaining control over all branches of the government, the military, and civil society. Dos Santos has made it his policy to harass, imprison, or kill politicians, journalists, and activists who protest his rule.Read the full open letter here
Nicki Minaj has not responded.
