Sting stung by Radio 4 Today

Radio 4’s Today programme recently discussed the “murky world” of the pop stars paid a fortune for playing private gigs for dictators.

The first celeb under fire was Sting who in February 2010 performed for the daughter of President Islam Karimov in Uzbekistan. 

Sting’s decision to accept £2 million to perform for the dictator’s daughter landed him in hot water with a cynical press, though his situation was nothing compared to opponents of President Karimov who have been boiled to death.

When questioned about singing for such a controversial figure, Sting said: "I am well aware of the Uzbek president's appalling reputation in the field of human rights as well as the environment. I made the decision to play there in spite of that. I have come to believe that cultural boycotts are not only pointless gestures, they are counter-productive, where proscribed states are further robbed of the open commerce of ideas and art and as a result become even more closed, paranoid and insular."

Sting’s decision to play in Uzbekistan is a PR coup for the government who wants the country to be part of the international scene. In reality the Uzbekistan government still forces hundreds of thousands of children are forced by pick cotton each season.

Celebrities must recognise their responsibilities and be aware that by agreeing to gigs and events at the invitation of such leaders they appear to endorse regimes that sponsor slavery.