Shakira’s five-concert “residency” in El Salvador’s capital is drawing international attention this week, as President Nayib Bukele aims to turn the country’s security transformation into a broader push to rebrand El Salvador on the world stage. The concerts, held at National Stadium Jorge “El Magico” González, follow other large international events in recent years, including international surfing competitions and the Miss Universe pageant.
Bukele’s effort has been built on what the government presents as a dramatic shift away from one of the region’s most violent countries, driven by a sweeping crackdown on criminal gangs. While major foreign artists have visited El Salvador in the past—often for a single performance—Shakira’s longer stay and five-date run adds another high-profile cultural marker to the push to project a safer destination for both visitors and investors.
The residency expanded after Shakira initially scheduled three dates for her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour” in El Salvador. After tickets for the three shows sold out quickly, Bukele posted on X that El Salvador was changing and that Shakira had sold out all the tickets for her three dates in less than 24 hours, adding that producers were working to extend the residency. Shakira replied almost immediately, saying the tour would add two more dates.
Tourism officials and concertgoers linked the spectacle to security conditions that they say now allow people to gather more freely. Tourism Minister Morena Valdez said hotels in the capital were at capacity, with some visitors booking trips to nearby beaches or other outlying cities, and said the concerts were expected to produce about a $55 million economic impact.
Outside the stadium on Thursday, visitors from neighboring countries described coming because they believed the security picture had changed. Roy Mora, who traveled from Cartago, Costa Rica, said, “It’s our first time in El Salvador, but we are going to return because El Salvador and its security are fashionable now.” His wife, María José De Mora, said they were “amazed by the security” and that they “have to see it,” standing outside the venue.
Critics, however, tie the rebranding push to the methods used to achieve the security turnaround—methods they say carry serious human-rights costs. Under a state of emergency that is nearly four years old, the government has used extraordinary powers to lock up more than 91,000 people often without due process, according to the report, and hundreds have died in prison without being convicted of a crime. Human rights organizations in El Salvador and abroad have criticized the measures, even as supporters say the crackdown has reduced gang violence.
Bukele’s approach has also shaped his messaging about who he is willing to confront and how he defends his policies. The report said Bukele lashed out at critics of his methods, saying he preferred to be called a “dictator” rather than see Salvadorans killed in the streets. The concerts, arriving against that backdrop, are being used by Bukele’s administration as yet another visible symbol of how the country is being positioned internationally.
Last month, Bukele visited Costa Rica at the invitation of President Rodrigo Chaves for the groundbreaking of a new prison inspired by the large lockups built early in the state of emergency. The residency now places a global pop star in a setting that Bukele’s government says reflects the results of its security strategy, even as critics warn that the emergency powers behind that strategy remain deeply controversial.