The British singer dedicates his concert in Beijing to the Chinese artist and dissident.
Elton John has come out in defense of Ai Weiwei. The British pop icon of 65 Years dedicated the concert he gave on Sunday night in Beijing to the Chinese artist and dissident, What caused the surprise and comments of many of the attendees. I just had the show for a few minutes, When Elton John said he dedicated it "to the spirit and talent of Ai Weiwei", a phrase that has surely caused the anger of the censors and the Chinese Ministry of Culture, what They try by all means prevent events like Björk from being reproduced in 2008. At the end of the concert he gave in Shanghai, The Icelandic singer shouted “Tibet, Tibet” After interpreting the song Declares independence. After the incident, Beijing rejected permission for numerous foreign performances.
The Chinese government exercises strict control over live concerts, and demands that artists deliver a detailed list of the songs they are going to interpret, With the letters translated into Chinese, and of the cast members and the technical team.
Elton John and Ai Weiwei had a brief match on Sunday before the show. "I supergust", The Chinese artist said of the British singer in the short messages service Twitter, In which you have 180.000 followers even though it is blocked in China. "I was with him before the show, He said nothing (of the dedication)”, there is aeegrated there we weiwei a la agency france presse. “When he did, It was a big surprise ". More of 12.000 people went to the concert. Elton John sang last Friday in Shanghai, And this week he will do it in South Korea and Malaysia, After which he plans to return to China to give concerts in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Chinese media have reported Elton John's show in Beijing, But they have not referred to the dedication.
Ai Weiwei, of 55 years, He is one of the most renowned Chinese artists and great government critic. Last year, disappeared for almost three months, at the hands of the police, In the midst of the wave of arrests launched against activists and dissidents for fear of the infection of Arab revolutions. After being released, He was accused of tax evasion and was forced to pay 15 million yuan (1,86 Millions of euros to the current change) as taxes evaded, delays and fine by the company Beijing Fake Cultural Development, with whom he performs his projects but is the property of his wife. AI and its supporters claim that it is a retaliation for their criticisms of the Chinese Communist Party and its defense of democracy. The artist continues to undergo close police surveillance and movement restrictions.
Elton John's sympathy sample follows that of the renowned British Indian -origin Anish Kapoor, Who has recorded a support video for AI Weiwei and to freedom of expression with the Gangnam style From the famous South Korean rapper psy. AI made at the end of October a version of the famous psy, in which the government mocked, And hung on the Internet; But the video was quickly removed by censors. Kapoor said he recorded his version -called ‘Gangnam for Libertad’- hoping to replace Ai Weiwei video vetoed in China.
