|
Riot in Sierra Leone Over Midget No-Show
Iâve always said, where thereâs dwarf comedians...thereâs trouble.Thousands of fans rioted at Sierra Leoneâs national stadium Saturday when authorities substituted two local dwarf comedians for a widely anticipated out-of-town midget duo. Police arrested 30 people, amid damage and dozens of injuries. Itâll now be remembered in Freetown as the famous Midget Riots of â03. Daylong radio ads had whipped up excitement and ticket sales for Friday nightâs scheduled performance by the two Nigerian entertainers, Aki and Paw Paw. Must not take much to get them excited in Freetown... although it is Aki and Paw Paw... The Nigerian performers failed to show by early morning. Organizers put the two local dwarf comedians on the stage instead. Hey, theyâre midgets, theyâre comedians...whoâs gonna know? Fans rioted, throwing projectiles and smashing windows, light fixtures and hundreds of chairs. Your hardcore midget comedian fans! Thatâs whoâs gonna know! Witnesses said police fired tear gas. Authorities said 30 people were arrested, including eight who allegedly had tried to steal the stadiumâs seats. What were they gonna do, sell them on Ebay? Dozens of show-goers were reported injured in the melee. Saturday, blood splattered parts of the stadium. Acting President Solomon Berewa, filling in while President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah is at a Commonwealth summit in Nigeria, toured the riot site Saturday and condemned the violence. Guess theyâll have to ban midget comedy shows..."How many more must die, Mister Speaker!?"... Sierra Leoneâs National Stadium was built as a gift from China. The stadium was under repairs for damage from the West African nationâs devastating 10-year rebellion, ended in January 2002. Looks like they havenât lost their touch. Posted by: tu3031 2003-12-07 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=22335 |