Beyonce has caused turmoil among students at a top religious college in Ethiopia after she met with the school's patriarch in advance of her two-hour concert last month in Addis Ababa, reports the Associated Press.
The 26-year-old singer's visit with Ethiopian patriarch Abune Paulos has been added to a list or reasons why students at Theological College of the Holy Trinity began a hunger strike on Sunday.
Daniel Techale, a 28-year-old alumnus who still lives at the school, said students were also protesting the close ties between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the government, alleged restrictions on their speech and food in the cafeteria. But Techale says students were also upset over the Beyonce-Paulos meeting.
"She provoked the whole situation," he said, accusing the patriarch of "practically a nonreligious act. It's unacceptable, or inappropriate, to say the least."
Authorities have been trying to persuade the students to end their hunger strike, which has so far sent about 30 of Techale's friends to the hospital, he added.
College official Bedilu Assefa confirmed that students had voiced various gripes about the school, but said: "What they have done is they have raised some administrative issues regarding food and clinical facilities. Nobody has protested against Beyonce. Never."
Student Kinetibebeu Assefa, 25, said that he had joined the protest to demand an improvement in cafeteria food and the firing of some college officials.
"There is no problem with Beyonce," he said. "But the (cafeteria) food is poisoned."
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