He was criticized for accepting this colossal fee offered by the Atlantis, the new luxury hotel in Dubai.
For the first time in four years, the multi-award-winning singer gave a one-hour concert on Saturday, January 21, in front of a hand-picked audience.
But this private show organized for the opening of the sumptuous
resort
in the largest city in the United Arab Emirates has sparked controversy, linked to the glaring dissonance between the star's commitments and the country's politics.
Read also3 things to know about Jonny, Beyoncé's gay uncle who inspired her new album,
Renaissance
Contradiction
There is like a contradiction: releasing an album celebrating black
queer culture,
and giving a concert (paid 22 million euros) in one of the most virulent countries in the world against homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals.
The United Arab Emirates are indeed among the most intransigent countries on the issue;
homosexual relations are punishable by ten years in prison, and police raids on gay clubs and parties are numerous.
Worse, the death penalty is still in force for people of the same sex having sexual relations.
Beyoncé's Formation
music video
, directed by Mélina Matsoukas
Tribute to black
queer
culture
And yet
Renaissance
, released in 2022, Beyoncé's seventh album and huge commercial success, is a tribute to
black
queer culture.
Its sixteen titles are affiliated with black
dance music
, a genre irrigated by
queer
culture , explained the
Washington Post
, in the wake of the album's release in July.
The singer from Houston even dedicated this album to her uncle Jonny, gay and who died of complications from HIV.
In her acceptance speech for the Glaad Media Awards - an organization also managed by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation - Jay-Z's wife said in 2019: "LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual) rights , trans, intersex, Ed) are human rights”.
Disappointment
“Beyoncé is a big icon for many gay people,” Bev Jackson told The
Telegraph
on January 22.
The co-founder of the British association "LGB Alliance" said, on behalf of the association, that he was deeply disappointed that the star had agreed to give a lucrative concert in Dubai, where sexual relations between people of the same sex are a crime. criminal, potentially punishable by death”.
This performance aroused the indignation of several internet users.
Like Kitty Scott-Claus, British
drag queen
, who wrote: “Hello, I have a question.. Can someone explain to me why everyone was boycotting David Beckham last month (in response to her trade agreement with the World Cup in Qatar,
Editor
's note ), and now famous Beyoncé performing in Dubai?
A double standard?
Another Twittos denounced: "All were paid millions to turn a blind eye and promote a barbaric regime [...] same energy".
One netizen summed it up like this: “Beyoncé is releasing an album dedicated to the LGBTQ community and then going to perform for the first time in years in Dubai?!
The same Dubai that is fiercely homophobic?
The popstar has not yet spoken on the subject.
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