Columbian-Lebanese pop star Shakira recently held a concert in France where she witnessed a huge success. Tickets to the concert were sold out a month prior to the scheduled performance with a crowd of over 16 thousand, marking Shakira's first appearance in France throughout her career.
According to the London based Elaph, while in France, Shakira held a press conference in which she answered all questions targeted at her saying that her stop in France is part of a tour she is holding around Europe which will take her to Germany next.
With regards to holding a tour around the Middle East, Shakira expressed after endless negotiations with sponsors that she does not feel the time is right for her to hold concerts in the Arab world with the current conditions of a US war on Iraq. The singer added that she does not feel it is safe for her at the moment and therefore has halted all negotiations and agreements of previously scheduled concerts.
The singer was previously scheduled to hold concert in Tunisia this April and in Morocco in June. Shakira was to hold performances in Casablanca, Rabat, and possibly a third Moroccan city. Organizers for the big event were trying to complete all necessary procedures in secrecy not wanting to reveal any additional information until everything is finalized.
The concerts were expected to prove a huge success due to the fact that Shakira holds great popularity all over Morocco. Her style of mixing Arab traits and forms of dancing into her performances is one of the main reasons her popularity has spread so fast around the Arab world.
Shakira had also announced earlier that she will be visiting her home country Lebanon to perform two concerts. Shakira had stressed her desire to hold different performances in Lebanon and a contract has been signed with sponsors to hold the concerts in Beirut. She had also previously announced on live TV that she will go on a Middle East tour and has signed a contract to hold three concerts in Egypt at the Light and Sound Theater. -Albawaba.com
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
