This singer’s tug-of-love might lead to prison
Malian singer Rokia Traoré might face prison in Belgium for a long-running custody battle
Celebrated Malian musician and singer Rokia Traoré, arrested in Rome last June over an international child custody dispute, will soon be extradited to Belgium following the rejection of her appeal by Italy’s highest court. Traoré, 50, a former UNHCR goodwill ambassador, was detained on June 20 at Rome’s Fiumicino airport under a European arrest warrant.
The issue is her ongoing tug-of-love with her former partner over custody of their nine-year-old daughter, whom she is ordered to surrender to the child’s father, Jan Goossens. In October 2023, a Belgian court sentenced her to two years in prison related to the charges. Her lawyer Maddalena Del Re stated, “Rokia suffered an injustice. She was arrested without the Belgian court hearing her voice. Now, the battle for Rokia’s rights moves to Brussels.” This version is contested by the father’s lawyer.
How did things go so wrong?
Since her arrest, Traoré has been in prison near Rome, where she was set to perform a concert. Del Re argued that the Belgian legal process contradicts Italian constitutional principles, as the verdict was reached in Traoré's absence. Goossens’s attorney, Sven Mary, claims that Traoré has denied her daughter contact with her father for over five years and has ignored Belgian court judgments.
Previously, Traoré was detained on a Belgian warrant in France in 2020. She asserted her commitment to the Belgian justice system, but subsequently moved to Mali with her daughter in contravention of a French ruling. Renowned for her fusion of African and Western music, Traoré has been a prominent figure in Mali’s cultural scene for many years.
(Michael Leahy- Source: The Guardian/ Photo: © Johnny Green/Picture alliance I photoshot)
Rokia Traore performs at Africa Express: The Circus, 2019 at Wanstead Flats in Leytonstone, London )