Yemi Alade, the Nigerian singer, has been denied a visa to perform in Canada over fears she might not leave the country.
Le Devoir, the French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada, reports that the songstress will be unable to perform at a festival’s final closing concert on Sunday.
The 33-year-old Afropop star is said to be one of the headliners of the Festival international Nuits d’Afrique.
Commenting on the development, Suzanne Rousseau, the festival co-founder, said the visa denial was due to “financial reasons, and for fears that the group wouldn’t leave Canada.”
Rousseau also lamented that the process of applying for a visitor’s visa has been difficult for “at least five years.”
“Finally, we got an answer saying the musicians were refused, saying they have to guarantee that they have enough financial means that will make them go back to their country,” she said.
With Alade’s performance cancelled, Rousseau said the Nigerian will be replaced by Sampa The Great, the Zambian-born Australian-based female rapper.
In a Twitter post, Alade, who recently released a single ‘Begging’, announced that she won’t be headlining the concert in Canada.
I'm so sad ! I will not be headlining the Festival in Montreal as announced for July 24th .I'm trully sorry. TILL NEXT TIME Canada
— ✊🏾 yemialade (@yemialadee) July 22, 2022
