Yemi Alade, a Nigerian musician, was denied a visa to perform in Canada due to concerns that she would remain there.
Le Devoir, a French-language newspaper, reported that the singer won’t be able to take the stage for the festival’s last closing show on Sunday.
The 33-year-old Afropop musician is reportedly one of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique’s headliners.
Commenting on the development, Suzanne Rousseau, the festival co-founder, said the visa denial was due to “financial reasons, and for fears that the group wouldn’t leave Canada.”
Rousseau also lamented that the process of applying for a visitor’s visa has been difficult for “at least five years.”
“Finally, we got an answer saying the musicians were refused, saying they have to guarantee that they have enough financial means that will make them go back to their country,” she said.
As of the time of this report, Alade, is yet to speak about the visa issues in Canada.
