On Friday, October 6, news broke that the much-anticipated Europe tour of Rwandan stars Ariel Wayz and Juno Kizigenza, had been cancelled at the last minute.
The two musicians were due to fly to Germany last week for the first two shows of the tour in Hamburg on October 6, and Hanover on October 7.
In a twist of events, after almost all the tickets for the shows had sold out, the duo announced that they would not be able to perform in Germany or any other country that the tour was due to reach, giving unclear reasons for cancelling all the shows.
"In order to deliver the high standard of tour experience our fans expect and deserve, we have made the necessary decision to slightly adjust the "home away from home" tour schedule. This is not an easy decision to make, but after consulting with all relevant parties, we believe it is in the best interest of our fans, who we consider to be our extended family," reads a statement released by the two artistes on Friday, October 6.
Although the artistes declined to disclose the reason for the cancellation of the tour, The New Times has learnt that the artistes and their teams were denied Schengen visas to travel to Europe, which is the main reason for the cancellation of all the concerts.
Speaking to The New Times, a reliable source based in Germany, who is one of the organisers of the shows that were to take place in the country, said the tour was cancelled after the artistes were denied visas to travel.
"Many people had already bought tickets but we were informed at the last minute that the artistes and their team would not be able to travel after they failed to get the travel permit. The tour will go ahead as soon as they get the visa and people who have bought tickets will still use them," the source said.
The tour, titled "Home Away From Home", was due to kick off in Hamburg, Germany, and end in Paris, France.
Other cities on the tour included Hanover (Germany), Oslo (Norway), Birmingham (England), Upsala (Sweden), Brussels (Belgium), Turin (Italy) and Warsaw (Poland).