Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama defended the decision to financially support a concert by controversial American rapper Kanye West.
In a public Facebook post on Wednesday, Rama tried to address public anger over the event by arguing that the €4 million ($4.56 million) investment in the concert was good for the country.
“We allocated €4 million at the last minute to save Albania from being embarrassed in the eyes of approximately 25,000 foreign visitors from 80 countries who had already bought tickets to see Kanye West, while many others were worried that the concert might be cancelled,” Rama said on Facebook.
Albania is the latest country to allow the rapper to perform after several others refused. The concert is scheduled for July 11 and will take place in a temporary stadium built specifically for the event, just outside the capital Tirana.
Why are countries banning Kanye West?
Albania’s decision to stage a Kanye West concert comes as several European countries have banned his performances.
The rapper, most recently known as YE, has been ousted due to his past inflammatory comments, including anti-Semitic comments, praise of Adolf Hitler and material containing Nazi imagery.
Kanye has distanced himself from his past actions, saying that they were related to his bipolar disorder.
He issued an apology last year for posting anti-Semitic material on social media, saying he was sorry for the hurt his words had caused and apologized.
Ram says Kanye will bring revenue
Nevertheless, countries such as France, Britain, Australia and Poland banned his performances or did not allow him to enter the country.
But since last year he has been able to perform in countries like Slovakia, Netherlands and Georgia.
Prime Minister Rama defended the event, arguing that it would generate at least €100 million in revenue for the country, which he linked to an increase in accommodation bookings around the time of the concert.
Rama is already facing criticism over plans for a luxury resort by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Strong opposition to the project has led to daily protests in Tirana against the Kushners and alleged corruption within the Albanian government.
Edited by: Zack Crellin
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