Tengrinews.kz - Controversial American rapper Sean Combs (P. Diddy), who is currently facing accusations of sexual crimes, visited Almaty’s Orphanage No. 2 in 2011. "Izvestia" tracked down a former resident who welcomed and accompanied the foreign star within the facility.
Rahim Rushanov, now 27 years old, currently rents an apartment in Almaty. He works as a bartender in the summer and as a gas boiler repairman in the winter.
He shared that he entered the orphanage at the age of six. When P. Diddy visited, Rahim was 13 years old, and he was tasked with accompanying the guest throughout the facility.
“We greeted him, gave him a tour of the orphanage, showed him the rooms and the gym. Then there was a concert for about an hour, after which he signed autographs. He constantly held my hand, patted me on the back, and said 'thank you' - for me, it felt like praise,” Rushanov recalled.
The boy found it difficult to understand the musician's speech as he did not know English. The only thing Rushanov was translated was the artist's desire to take him from the orphanage.
"He spoke in English, and I was only translated the phrase: 'He wants to take you away with him.' The topic was discussed for a month, and I even had hope. I was from an orphanage, and an American star wanted to take me to America - it felt like a dream. But the adoption didn’t happen. I was told he wanted to take only me, while I had sisters," recalled the former orphanage resident.
Photo: personal archive/"Izvestia”
However, the former director of the orphanage, Akmaral Shataeva, exclaimed when asked if P. Diddy actually showed interest in adopting a child during his visit: "Oh, come on! There was no such thing." She is convinced it could have been someone’s joke.
The former director believes that the star's visit to the orphanage may have been necessary to justify the charitable purpose of the trip as stated in the documents. The rapper brought hats, CDs, and televisions for the children, as reported in the media. The institution has long been closed, but Shataeva notes that former residents are upset by hints in the media about dark motives behind his visit.
"There was never a case when foreigners expressed a desire to take children from our orphanage. It’s hard to hear that people are writing about selling children - they are not commodities. You can request information from the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see the real picture," the former director expressed her outrage.
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