RAPPER NIKKI MINAJ IS SET TO PERFORM IN SOUTH AFRICA, A
COUNTRY KNOWN AS ANGOLA, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ARE
URGING HER TO CANCEL A TRIP THERE BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT
THERE IS A DICTATOR WHO STANDS
TO PROFIT FROM HER PERFORMANCE.
NOT NECESSARILY PROFIT ñ
VIDEO BUFFERING.
NIKKI MINAJ, YOU ARE WELL KNOWN FOR BEING INVOLVED
WITH CHARITIES SUCH AS THE GET SCHOOL FOUNDATION, WHICH
HELPS MOTIVATE YOUNG PEOPLE TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL
AND SUCCEED IN COLLEGE.
IF YOU MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PERFORMANCE FOR THE DICTATOR AND
HIS FAMILY, YOU WILL BE IN LEAGUE WITH THE PEOPLE STEALING
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND
OPPORTUNITY FROM YOUNG ANGOLANS."
THE PRESIDENT THERE IS JOSE EDUARDO SANTOS, AND HE IS A
DICTATOR.
HE HAS BEEN THE LEADER OF ANGOLA FOR THIRTY-SIX YEARS, SO ALMOST
FOUR DECADES.
RECENTLY, THERE WERE A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE PROTESTING
THE DICTATORSHIP THERE, AND WHAT THEY DID WAS READ FROM A BOOK
CALLED DICTATORSHIP TO DEMOCRACY, BASICALLY TRYING
TO ESTABLISH DEMOCRACY IN THE COUNTRY, AND HE DID NOT
LIKE THAT.
HE WENT AFTER THOSE PROTESTERS, AND HE HAS A LONG HISTORY
OF DOING THAT.
HE HAS ALSO BEEN ACCUSED OF STEALING THE RESOURCES OF
THE COUNTRY, IT IS A VERY OIL-RICH COUNTRY, AND USING
IT FOR HIMSELF AND HIS FAMILY WHILE MANY PEOPLE ARE
LIVING IN POVERTY.
HE HAS BEEN IN POWER SINCE 1979,
I WONDER IF A DICTATOR STOLE THE RESOURCES OF HIS COUNTRY
AND REDIRECTED IT INTO HIS OWN POCKET TO HELP HIS OWN FAMILY?
YEAH, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WENT DOWN.
I SHOULD NOT SAY, BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE THE DETAILS AND I DID
NOT RESEARCH IT, BUT THERE WERE A LOT
OF DICTATORS WHO WERE PUT IN PLACE
IN THE 1970S BY THE CIA OR THE
WESTERN GOVERNMENTS.
I WOULDN'T MIND DOING A DEAL WITH A DICTATOR TO GET ME
CHEAPER PRICES ON OIL, AND LET MY CORPORATIONS SO THAT
WILL INSTEAD.
IF IT TURNS OUT THAT YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE COUNTRY DOWN FOR A
COUPLE OF DECADES, I WILL LOOK THE OTHER WAY.
THIS IS NOT OUR GOVERNMENT, THIS IS A HUMAN RIGHTS
ORGANIZATION, THEY HAVE SUCCESSFULLY LOBBIED LIKE
THIS IN THE PAST, AND GOOD FOR THEM.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THIS PRESSURE IS GOING TO
CONVINCE NIKKI MINAJ TO CANCEL HER TRIP OR HER
PERFORMANCE, BUT OTHER ARTISTS WHO HAVE TRAVELED THERE TO
PERFORM HAVE MADE QUITE A BIT OF MONEY.
THEY GET PAID AROUND $1 MILLION TO DO PERFORMANCES, SO I
WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF SOMEONE DECIDED TO IGNORE THIS
LETTER AND MOVE FORWARD.
I DO THINK THERE ARE DOUBLE STANDARDS.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN ANGOLA RIGHT NOW IS TERRIBLE WITH HUMAN
RIGHTS ABUSES, BUT THE U.S.
IS GUILTY OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AS WELL.
WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WE'RE BOMBING
HOSPITALS AND KILLING WOMEN AND CHILDREN, AND THEN WE'RE
TURNING AROUND AND TALKING ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES?
THAT IS A GOOD POINT.
I HAD BRENDAN BRIAN, WHO IS A DRONE OPERATOR, ON THE SHOW FOR
AN INTERVIEW JUST YESTERDAY, AND HE EXPLAINED ABOUT A
SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD U.S. CITIZEN WHO WAS GOING TO TRY TO FIND HIS DAD,
AND HIS DAD WE THINK IS A BAD GUY THAT WE EXECUTED WITH NO DUE
PROCESS, BUT THEN WE KILLED THIS SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD.
I SAID, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHANCES WERE THAT IT WAS A
COINCIDENCE THAT WE HAPPENED TO KILL HIS SON IN A TOTALLY
DIFFERENT LOCATION AT A DIFFERENT TIME?
HE SAID WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT WAS NO ACCIDENT.
WE'RE KILLING SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD U.S. CITIZENS WITH NO TRIAL OR
DUE PROCESS, AND OUR GUYS CALL
THAT MOWING THE GRASS.
KILLING KIDS BEFORE THEY GET OLD ENOUGH TO TAKE ANY ACTION.
THEY THOUGHT, SINCE WE KILLED HIS DAD HE MIGHT WANT TO
TAKE REVENGE ON US, LET'S MOW THE GRASS.
HOW ABOUT YOU DON'T KILL HIS DAD WITHOUT DUE PROCESS?
HOW ABOUT YOU DETAIN HIM, PUT HIM ON TRIAL, FIGURE OUT THAT HE
ACTUALLY DID IT AND THEN CARRY OUT THE APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT?
IF YOU WENT TO PROTEST BARACK OBAMA AND SAID THAT PEOPLE
SHOULD NOT PERFORM IN U.S.,
YOU WOULD GET LAUGHED OUT OF THE BUILDING.
DIFFERENT STANDARDS, WE GET TO DO IT.
THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT WE SHOULD NOT PROTEST THE
DICTATORS, WE SHOULD.
ONE TIME THAT IT ACTUALLY WORKED WITH WHEN THE ORGANIZATION ASKED
HILARY SWANK WHY SHE WENT TO CHECHNYA AND TO THE PRESIDENT'S
PALACE ñ HE HAD BEEN ACCUSED OF TORTURE AND MURDER ñ AND TO HER
CREDIT SHE SAID SHE DID NOT KNOW THAT, AND SHE DONATED ALL THE
MONEY TO CHARITY AND SHE FIRED HER MANAGER AND APOLOGIZED
PUBLICLY.
SO THIS PUBLIC SHAMING SOMETIMES DOES WORK AND BRINGS YOU
GOOD RESULTS.
JUST BECAUSE WE DO IT TO DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE SHOULD NOT TAKE
ACTION AGAINST PEOPLE WHO ARE CLEARLY DICTATORS, AND ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE NOT TO GIVE THEM THE
CREDIBILITY THAT, NOT ONLY DO THEY WANT, AND THE
ENTERTAINMENT THAT THEY WANT, BUT THAT THEY COULD USE AS
PROPAGANDA IN THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AGAINST THEIR OWN PEOPLE.
LOOK AT ME, I'M WITH NIKKI MINAJ, I'M A GOOD PERSON.
TO THE KIDS, I'M WITH POP-CULTURE ICON NIKKI MINAJ, SO I MUST BE COOL, I MUST
BE A GOOD GUY.
THAT IS PART OF WHY DENNIS RODMAN SHOULD NEVER HAVE
GONE TO NORTH KOREA.
SERIOUSLY.
THAT IS ONE OF THE WORST DICTATORS IN THE WORLD, AND
THERE IS DENNIS RODMAN SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HIM.
JUST TO CLARIFY MY COMMENTS, I DO AGREE THAT YOU SHOULD
HOLD DICTATORS IN OTHER COUNTRIES ACCOUNTABLE, BUT
AT THE SAME TIME WE NEED A MOMENT OF SELF REFLECTION.
YES.
AND I AM GLAD THAT THIS IS HAPPENING BECAUSE THIS IS A
SMALL THING THAT WE CAN DO IN ANGOLA, BUT THEORETICALLY THERE
IS SOMETHING WE DO IN OUR OWN
COUNTRY AS WELL.