As part of his Kevin Hart: Reality Check tour, Kevin Hart was booked to perform his first Egypt show on February 21st. The show was canceled, however, due to "local logistical issues," the organizers revealed on Instagram. Allegedly, the cancelation followed uproar from local Egyptians who were upset with the comedian's "Afrocentric" views. Eurweb reports that Hart has been accused of "distorting history." Previously, the 43-year-old had stated, ”we must teach our children the true history of Black Africans when they were kings in Egypt and not just the era of slavery that is cemented by education in America. Do you remember the time when we were kings?”
Egyptian Twitter users were quick to clap back on Hart's allegations, which contributed to the #StopAfroCentricConference boycott. One user went as far as to Tweet, “want to steal and attribute Egypt’s civilization to Africans and tell modern Egyptians that we are occupying Egypt from them. We must all participate in the campaign to cancel Kevin’s concert.” Evidently, the dissatisfaction from Egyptians was enough for the show organizers to cancel one day before Hart's performance.
Kevin Hart's Cairo Show Canceled By Organizers
While both Afrocentric scholars and Egyptian critics maintain strong opinions on history, Dean of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport in Egypt Monica Hanna believes that the truth remains in the middle. “Both extreme Egyptian nationalists and Afrocentrists adopt discourses based on racist ideas of color and ethnicity," she said to News Line, "that are utterly detached from scientific, historical, and cultural facts.” Additionally, Hanna compares the feud to fights between “violent rival football fans.”
Still, anger against Hart's Afrocentric comments were enough to dismantle his comedy show this week. Accordingly, several users took to Twitter to express their appreciation for the decision. For example, one user wrote, "Kevin, Hart’s nonsense show canceled keep his Afrocentric ass out of Egypt," while another mentioned, "Seeing Kevin hart's show here get canceled is so satisfying to see." While his Cairo show remains canceled, Hart will continue his Reality Check tour in Abu Dhabi tonight (February 22nd). Following his remaining performances in the Middle East, the comedian will return to America for shows in March. For more news on your favorite stars, keep in touch with HNHH.