Earlier this week, it was reported that megastars Beyoncé and Mariah Carey were among artists who were being pressured to return or donate the money they’d received from performances at private functions for family members of embattled Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Now the two singers have announced that they’ve already donated their Gadhafi money to various charities.
Beyoncé, who performed on the island of St. Barts alongside Usher at a New Year’s Eve bash for Gadhafi’s son, Mutassim, in 2009 for $1 million, announced on March 2 that she donated the money to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Foundation.
Yvette Noel-Schure, a spokesperson for Beyoncé, released this statement to huffingtonpost.com, concerning the donation.
“All monies paid to Beyoncé for her performance at a private party at Nikki Beach St. Barts on New Year’s Eve 2009, including the commissions paid to her booking agency, were donated to the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, over a year ago. Once it became known that the third party promoter was linked to the Qaddafi family, the decision was made to put that payment to a good cause.”
As for Carey, who also performed on the island of St. Barts for the Gadhafi family back in 2008, the singer released a public apology to the Associated Press on March 3, explaining that she was unaware of Gadhafi’s connections to her performance.
“I was naive and unaware of who I was booked to perform for. I feel horrible and embarrassed to have participated in this mess,” said Carey. “Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from. We need to be more aware and take more responsibility, regardless of who books our shows. Ultimately, we as artists are to be held accountable.”
It’s unknown just how much Carey received for her performance but her representative, Cindi Berger, claims that Carey has donated millions of dollars to multiple charities throughout the years, implying that Carey has already given away her Gadhafi money.
What do you think of Beyoncé’s donation? Do you think Carey’s past donation efforts have redeemed her?
–nicholas robinson
