Akon, the multi-platinum hip-hop artist best known for hits like “Smack That” and “Belly Dancer,” is set to perform in Iraqi Kurdistan.
In a video posted on Thursday morning, he announced plans to perform a charity concert in the city of Erbil. Tickets will be free, though any proceeds from the March concert will go to family members of Kurdistan’s unofficial military, the Peshmerga.
The Senegalese-American is passionate about charity work and has long supported development projects in Africa and the Middle East.
“I’m so excited to be there to visit that 8,000-year-old city to perform live at the Hariri stadium in March,” Akon said in a video posted by the Rwanga Charity. He is pairing with the group, an Erbil-based foundation that provides humanitarian aid in Kurdistan. His performance will be part of the Xoli Raperin soccer tournament.
Akon is no stranger to conflict zones, having performed as part of a Peace Day celebration in the Democratic Republic of Congo in September 2014. He is also a practicing Muslim.
Erbil is the unofficial state capitol of the autonomous region of Kurdistan that spans northern Iraq and several small areas throughout the Middle East. Despite having its own government and ethnic identity, the Kurdish people have struggled for years to attain official statehood.
Kurdish Iraq has had a rocky history in part because of their struggle for autonomy. When ISIS seized portions of Syria and Iraq last summer, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces worked with Iraqi government units to fight against the extremist group.
The U.S. government backed support to the Peshmerga in August with the aims of protecting Iraq’s stability in light of Islamic State (ISIS) advances.
Akon’s concert is described as a benefit for the Peshmerga, who have allegedly lost more than 1,000 soldiers in ongoing clashes with ISIS.
Kurdish fans have already voiced enthusiasm for the event on Facebook. One fan, Pasha Jon, who identifies himself as a 25-year-old Kurd living in northern Iraq, told Mashable that he is looking forward to the concert.
“When my friends and I heard that Akon was coming, we were very excited. It’s great to see an American celebrity pay attention to what’s going on in Kurdistan,” Jon said.