Maluma Praised Today’s El Salvador During His Concert—And People Had a Lot to Say About It
Maluma is on his +PRETTY +DIRTY world tour. While he is out there entertaining fans, he recently made a comment that is landing him in hot water. He was performing in San Salvador, El Salvador when he praised President Nayib Bukele for his work. The comment stirred controversy and debate on social media because of what he said, how he was dressed, and his past comments.
Maluma praised President Nayib Bukele’s administration during his concert
President Nayib Bukele and El Salvador have been the focus of human rights activists. Since becoming president, human rights activists have sounded the alarm about Bukele’s administration. President Bukele ran on a platform of cleaning up El Salvador and ridding the country of gang violence that made it the murder capital of the world. However, the indiscriminate arrest and detention of young men in El Salvador. It sparked concern that the president was overreaching and moving toward authoritarian rule.
At the concert, Maluma paused in his show and praised President Bukele for his work in El Salvador. He told that crowd how proud he is of El Salvador and the changes that have happened in the country.
“I am very happy about the situation the country of El Salvador is going through. Congratulations,” Maluma told the crowd. “Since I arrived, the energy of the place feels beautiful, it feels incredible, the streets are clean, the people are loving and affectionate.” He added: “I have to say something, as a Colombian, we have so much to learn from the brother country of El Salvador.”
People are not happy with his comments
People are pointing out that Maluma’s comments contradict his own appearance while in concert. Part of El Salvador’s crackdown includes profiling and arresting people because of the tattoos they have on their bodies. Maluma is known for having tattoos all over his body. Many have noticed that he chose to perform in a long-sleeve shirt and pants, despite the heat at the Jorge Mágico González Stadium.
People are filled with jokes highlighting the hypocrisy in Maluma’s words versus his appearance. It is clear that he understood that his tattoos could cause him trouble in the country he is admiring. Social media users are highlighting what he wears in El Salvador versus in Colombia after his comments. His statement that Colombia should learn from El Salvador has really struck a nerve online.
In praising President Bukele, Maluma is ignoring the perceived current slide into authoritarianism that El Salvador is facing. Recently, the country’s lawmakers voted to change the constitution, paving the way for President Bukele to run for office indefinitely. The changes to the constitution, some fear, are giving the green light to a dictatorship under President Bukele.
It isn’t a far-fetched fear that President Bukele is seeking to become a dictator. At one point, President Bukele’s X (formerly Twitter) bio stated that he was the “world’s coolest dictator.” Journalists and human rights activists have even fled the country for fear of retaliation based on their work in El Salvador.
