Another chapter was recently written in the ongoing romance between celebrities and dictators. This time the dictator seeking to launder his reputation and distract from his crimes was Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni. And the celebrity was American rap artist Akon. What made this instance particularly worthy of note is how the Grammy-nominated artist’s disgrace went one step beyond selling his soul. He blatantly acknowledged how popular culture plays a role in enabling dictatorship and went so far as endorsing Museveni while articulating his disapproval of democracy.
