Mariah Carey criticised for Angola president performance

Staff Reporter 

The American singer was accused of selling out to Jose Eduardo dos Santos, the longtime president of Angola, after entertaining him with a two-hour concert Photo: GETTY IMAGES

UNITED STATES pop Diva Mariah Carey posed for photographs with Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled Angola for 34 years

Mariah Carey has been criticised by human rights campaigners for accepting an estimated $1 million (£610,000) to perform for an African dictator.

The American singer was accused of selling out to Jose Eduardo dos Santos, the longtime president of Angola, after entertaining him with a two-hour concert in the country on Sunday.

"It is the sad spectacle of an international artist purchased by a ruthless police state to entertain and whitewash the father-daughter kleptocracy that has amassed billions in ill-gotten wealth while the majority of Angolalives on less than $2 a day," said Thor Halvorssen, the president of the Human Rights Foundation.

Mr Dos Santos, 71, is one of the world's longest-serving dictators and has been president since September 1979. He has "exploited oil and diamond wealth to build total control over all branches of the government, the military, and the courts" according to the Human Rights Foundation.

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