Congolese musician Koffi Olomide on Friday arrived in Kigali ahead of Saturdays concert live at Kigali Arena. His arrival brings all sorts of rumors surrounding a possible cancellation of the concert to an end, despite numerous pleas to ban his concert in Kigali due to his reputation of abusing women. The singer, 65, spent a night at Kivu Serena Hotel in Rubavu before he was driven to Kigali on Friday. Upon his arrival in the capital, the Rhumba music legend was welcomed by members of the organising team and group of young girls from Kigali Protocol who welcomed him with a bouquet of flowers before he was taken straight to Ubumwe Grand Hotel for a night stay prior to the concert. Members of the press were not able to interview him upon arrival and only pictures were allowed. Olomide’s concert has attracted the attention of the public which has had divided opinions for days, with a section led by women’s rights activists calling for the concert to be banned from happening in a country that does not tolerate Gender-based violence, as they accuse the singer of being subject to charges associated with sexual assault and rape while another section insists that the show must go on. The New Times has established that Koffi won’t speak to the media as concert organisers have not planned to hold a press conference. The ongoing public outcry surrounding the concert was thought to pose a major threat to the concert’s turn up, but this publication gathers that some sections of the seat categories’ including the regular side, have sold out their tickets, leaving the show-goers with the ‘VIP seats’ as the only option. R&B singer Buravan alongside King James and Chris Hat are expected to set the stage for rhumba maestro this weekend in Kigali.
