Solange Knowles has confirmed that she would not be performing at her scheduled Joburg appearance at AFROPUNK due to be held on 30 and 31 December.
In a lengthy post on her Instagram page, she said she has been battling an illness for months.
“Wrote, deleted and re wrote this like 5 times… Still not sure what exactly or how much I want to share… However it’s so important to me for the people in South Africa, a place that has tremendous meaning to me and that has given me SO SO MUCH, to know why I won’t be performing at Afro Punk this NYE.”
“The past five months I have been quietly treating, and working through an Autonomic Disorder. It been a journey that hasn’t been easy on me. Sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all. It’s a complicated diagnoses , and I’m still learning so much myself, but right now, my doctors are not clearing me for such an extended lengthy flight, and doing a rigorous show right after.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdNmg26BVcI/
She has vowed to come to South Africa to make up.
“I can’t put into words how saddened and sorry I am that I am unable to perform for you guys this NYE, there is simply no other place I wanted to be than there with my family to bring in 2018 with you…….but I give you my ABSOLUTE WORD I will come back with AfroPunk and deliver this performance…..as it is so extremely important to me to connect with the people who have so closely inspired me in so many ways.”
AFROPUNK, meanwhile, said it was alarmed by the “sudden news of her severe health struggles.”
“Her music and spirit has been a place of great comfort and inspiration to us as a community. And of course we are incredibly saddened that she will no longer be performing at the inaugural AFROPUNK Joburg this weekend,” said AFROPUNK co-founder Matthew Morgan.