Akon show dropped amid protests

Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka

R&B star Akon has postponed a planned concert in Sri Lanka after angry protests over a music video he is in where scantily clad women dance in front of a Buddha statue.

Akon, who expressed regret and said he was not previously aware of the statue in the video, would have been the highest- profile international singer to come to this predominately Buddhist, Indian Ocean island since the end of a brutal 25-year civil war last year.

Sri Lanka said Wednesday it would not issue Akon a visa for next month’s concert, and his booking firm confirmed the show had been postponed amid growing outrage at the singer here. A mob on Monday hurled stones at a private broadcaster that was helping sponsor the event, and a “We Hate Akon” page on Facebook had attracted more than 12,000 members by Wednesday evening.

In the video, “Sexy Chick,” women in bikinis are shown dancing at a pool party with a Buddha statue occasionally visible in the background. Akon said he didn’t mean to offend any religion.