Akon didn't perform in a bubble in DR Congo because of Ebola, he was just having a fun time for himself
Singer wasn't so much "locked up" as bubble-wrapped in Africa last week
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ebola scaremongering knows no bounds, first there were reports of the virus creating "zombies", and now Akon has allegedly crowd-surfed in a bubble during a concert in Africa "to avoid contracting it".
"Akon Performed In A Bubble In Africa To Avoid Contracting Ebola" a headline on The Source screamed yesterday, a strange conclusion that was echoed by thousands of people on Twitter.
The concert in question took place on 21 September and was part of International Peace Day celebrations in Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so it would have been pretty galling if Akon had honoured the occasion and its message of unity by sealing himself off from the crowd.
Yes, isolation is employed to help stop the spread of the virus, but in this case Akon wasn't worried about contracting it at the event, he was merely gleefully bouncing around on the crowd in the giant ball for the hedonistic thrill of it.
If you don't believe me, here's the Flaming Lips doing the same in Washington DC in 2009.
And Diplo bubble crowd-surfing in Ottawa, Canada in 2012.
Akon previously got inside a bubble in Perth and Dubai too. Maybe they had a nasty cold out there?
No, the real mystery here is why Akon is still getting shows in 2014.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments