Musician and activist Bob Geldof is preparing to give a concert in occupied Famagusta next Friday. According to Turkish Cypriot media reports, the concert of Geldof and his band, called "Boomtown Rats", will take place at the illegal Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), in the Turkish-occupied stadium of Famagusta.
The concert will be given as part of the "Rock 'n EMU" festival, which is currently taking place in the occupied territories and has been organized for seven years by this "university". Geldof and the "Boomtown Rats" will open, according to the relevant publications, the musical part of the festival and the event will include, among others, the Philharmonic of the "Municipality of Famagusta".
Geldof is better known to the general public for his activism than for his music, and he has worked several times to empower poor areas in Africa. In 1984 he founded the charity "Band Aid" with the aim of raising money to fight hunger in Ethiopia.
The Turkish Cypriot press, announcing next Friday's concert, refers to concerts that had been planned in the past with the participation of internationally renowned artists, but were canceled due to the strong objections raised by the Republic of Cyprus. Characteristically, reference is made to the concert that Julio Iglesias would perform in the occupied territories in 2012, who had even stated at the time that he had been deceived by the occupying authorities, since he had not been informed about the political situation on the island.
In 2010, moreover, a concert by Jennifer Lopez, which was also scheduled to take place in the occupied territories, was canceled after strong protests by the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus. A concert by the internationally renowned singer Rihanna had a similar fate.
Source: Liberal