The Committee to Protect Journalists has called on authorities in Zambia to thoroughly investigate accusations that Congolese musician Koffi Olomide attacked a freelance photographer on Friday at a concert in Lusaka.
News reports said Olomide attacked Jean Ndayisenga at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel as the photographer attempted to take a picture of the musician.
Ndayisenga said Olomide kicked him in the face and damaged the flash of his camera, news reports said.
Ndayisenga, a Rwandan commonly known as “Mandela,” sought treatment at UTH and reported the attack Kabwata police station.
Police Spokesperson Elizabeth Kanjela said the case had been transferred to Lusaka Central Police and that they were investigating.
The Sunday Mail cited concert organizer Suke Chile as saying Olomide had denied the allegations.
News reports said Olomide could not be reached for comment.
“A photographer should not be subjected to assault while covering a musical performance,” said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. “We urge authorities to investigate this reported attack and bring appropriate charges.”
Olomide arrived in Zambia last week to perform three shows.
News accounts also reported that the musician has faced assault charges in the past.
In August, he was handed a three-month suspended prison sentence in the Democratic Republic of Congo for assaulting his producer.
Kofi just wanted to bring the Rwanda-DRC conflict to Zambia. And what is Maiko Zulu saying on the incident?
Jounalists, particulary Zambian journalists by your immoral principles and wicked practices conspired and influenced to oust a government in our country based on bitterness and greed in exchange for a grand national deception Zambia is stuck with today. Where do we find these journalists today? in high places singing chorus of praise to the deception hatched by themselves. A dictator installed by unprincipled journalists is one they are appealing to for protection. Your bad journalism has resulted in loss of confidence in the nation. You are grown intolerably odious on the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are you yourselves become the greatest grievance now? Even foreigners disrespect you with shame. Appeal to your installed dictator.
I don’t think Sata is a dictator but I agree with you 100 percent about these sell out journalists!
Hatred and bitterness will take you nowhere. Sata is the President of Zambia, like it or not. Just accept it and go on with your life.
shame on you … Your bitterness and frustration will take you no where…dull chap..shaaa
#2 WHAT IS YOUR SENTIMENT GOT TO DO WITH A JOURNALIST BEING KICKED IN THE FACE BY KOFFI? DISCUSS THE ISSUE NOT YOUR MIS-INFORMATION ABOUT ZAMBIA.
COMING BACK TO THE ISSUE- IF ZAMBIA POLICE IS GOING TO LET CRIMINALS SLIP THROUGH THEIR PANTS BY NOT BEING PRO-ACTIVE LIKE THIS THEN THE IMPRESSION THEY ARE SENDING TO THE WORLD IS THAT ONE CAN GO TO ZAMBIA AND BE INVOLVED IN ANY CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND STILL GET AWAY WITH IT. HENRY BANDA EASILY SLIPT AWAY INTO SA, KOFFI DID THE SAME FEW YEARS AGO AND HE HAS REPEATED THE SAME. THERE ARE MANY EXAMPLE. AN ALERT POLICE IS ONE THAT IS PRO-ACTIVE. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLAIN CLOTH POLICE AT ALL BORDERS TO CATCH THE RAT JUST ON ROOMERS THAT KOFFI HAD ASSAULTED A JOURNALIST.
If he escaped arrest last time, it means that he had a case pending, so why did no one follow it up when he came in again?
I wonder whether we have police in zambia. they are used to presidential instructions.
It sounds bad if you’re a visitor and behave in a way that demeans your host.
For an international artist in Olomide to come to Zambia and offend the freedom of the Press where he should have led by example is so absurd and it depicts how one was brought up!
In my country we’re known world over to be welcoming,but we got fed up of some arrogant and ill-mannered musicians from that place and groomed our own musicians whom we’re contented with,thats why Uganda is no longer their hunting ground.
Iam very very dissappointed with Mr. Koffi Olomide, that he didn’t kill this journalist, depresses me. Next time, please sir aim for the neck. Most of these local journalists are nothing but empty buckets. Kalusha Bwalya equally didn’t finish the good job he started with that Post reporter in Cape Town. But atleast the Post reporter leant his lesson. Come back Olomide and finish the job. I enjoyed your perfomance by the way.
This is like asking the Idi Amin to investigate Hitler!! You are asking for too much from PF govt, your request is well above their moral threshold.
Here is a near 60 year old man dressing like a 20 year old dancing with men (well women when you look closely), absolutely unwarranted and entertained by people with limited intelligence who don’t understand the language or lyrics of the songs themselves and are privileged to host him as a ‘star’. Just how low are you Zambian going to sink. Why not promote your own music, which lets be honest is amusing but not entertaining enough to get my pounds, bottom-line this is isn’t newsworthy and should be condemned with the utmost contempt it deserves. I feel sorry for people that acknowledge a near nonentity as this man.
Thanks
Pu**y Riot!
Kwena mushota uli stamps ya pa ponto. Many of the Zambian who listen to koffi don’t understand the language but his music is good. Discredit his behavior not his music. How was your trip to Zambia with ur white man. I saw it on CNN: Mushota lands at KK airport with a white man. Lol
That is Rwandanese is useless, he is just calling the drunken minister Lungu to deport him.
Zambian journalists are amongst the most pathetic in the world. You do not take coverage to new heights and you are very shallow at your analysis. Shame on you! You wait for Koffi to intimidate you for you to be heard, many politicians disrespect you and you keep quiet. Shame on you. Alas! o ye o Alas!
IMWE BANTU WHY WORRY ABOUT A RWANDESE BEING KICKED IN THE FACE. PERHAPS KOFI IS A HUTU OR TUSI AND IT WAS SOME KIND OF VENGEANCE. DOES THIS SAME NDAYISENGA OR WHATEVER HIS NAME HAVE A PERMIT TO BE IN MY BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY?
JOURNALISTS, PLEASE SPEAK FOR YOURSELVES AND NOT RWANDESE MAN. WE DONT WANT TO WASTE OUR RESOURCES ON A NON-ZAMBIAN. LET HIS COUNTRY SET UP A TRIBUNAL IF NDAYISENGA IS AGGRIEVED PERIOD.
I now see the angst between Rwandese Mandela and Koffi; its DRC v Rwanda, Kagame v Kabila, M23 in Goma v DRC’s Kabila. No wonder Mandela has that appearance; now I can see that he is Tutsi or is it banyamulenge! Koffi had better stay out of Zambia as there will be war from these banyamulenge’s. My advise Mandela is that be wary of section 39 of the Immigration and Deportation Act 2010! The Minister of Home Affairs does not need to give reasons for deporting you since the greater interest of Zambians is entertainment over a camera lense. Take my advise if you still want to be in Zambia. By the way, I am against violence and suppression of freedom of speech.
Yet again, these Ituri rain forest people at it again. Question, do we have any two provinces with people that originated from the Congo?
If you did your History you will Know that nearly all Zambian provinces have tribes who originate from what is now DRC
Let the law take its course…but please Mr. freelance cameraman do not disappoint us by opting for outside settlements.
Ba LT, the Post has already posted that this guy left the country already, when the Police just decided to get hold of him
Boycott his shows. Period!
The cameraman association, dont you have rules for you members to follow?some magazine in france is in trouble for a photo they took of some royal member in their privacy,similarly we know the economy is bitting but avoid extending your nose in peoples bedrooms to secretly shoot and sale stupid photos to the post. Avoid trouble do your job when and where you should,someone should tell me when this photo hungry man is going back,if you Zambian allow photos in your bedroom, koffie doesnt.
What i.d.i.o.t mother would send her little girls to give flowers to Kofi! Zambians please have some respect for yourselves.
a congolese mother
Journalists speak for yourselves sisters and brothers. Don’t allow to be intimidated
Koffi Olomide is just an a$$hole. I stopped being his fan after learning about this. All of his albums I have accumulated for the past years I will throw them away. I have actually stopped playing his CD’s in my car, in protest against his stup.id behaviour.
this guy is great,koffi muukali,linshimba,mwaume.he is a good composer,and that chi girl who says we dont understand the languege,do japanese who love MICHEAL JACKSON MUSIC understand ENGLISH.this chi mushota is dull.
The language of music surpasses verbal language!
but mushota also!!!! music is just how you compose it , we understand zambian music but its still much far away from koffi’s music. only zambians can listen to zambian music , but many countries listen to koffi’s music . and i know this guy Jean who was kicked . he has a shop selling african wear on cross roard leopards road and lake road. he is my friend. he was in china before. we talk a lot about china when we meet. even zambians speak english but dont understand english songs from america or elsewhere
how many people in zambia dont undertand the meaning of luck dube’s song called SLAVE. they think its talking about slavery from the white man. It talks about being slave to alcohol not to the whiteman
This debate is still rambling. There is no doubt in the minds of those who were fans that Koffi had talent. I for one have a few of his CDs. However, we as a people need to stop supporting men who abuse women. I used to proudly tell other Africans in the diaspora that women in our country were safe. Unfortunately, when you have a person – wanted by Interpol for trafficking young African girls – being able to come in and out of our country as if we have no police force is disheartening. The police spokes person is saying one thing while those on the ground are saying something else. You know they have been paid off and are not interested in arresting him. What is even sadder is that a policeman was arrested last week for raping a witness.
Koffi’s talent, or lack of it, should not even be an issue. What is at issue is his behaviour. He has a habit of attacking people and he seems to get away with it. I am glad he has had a bad press this time around. Hopefully, he will never return. Unfortunately for him, the world is getting ever smaller. He cannot go to South Africa because they will arrest and send him back to France for trial. Police forces in the Francophone countries will probably do the same. The only place he is safe is Congo (and Zambia?).
This fool Coffee slapped one of his dancing queens in public; he is so full of himself I wish the lock him up for 2 months with hard labour.