On Wednesday, Solange Knowles took to Instagram and shared with fans that she's been "quietly treating" an unnamed autonomic disorder and will no longer be performing at AfroPunk Fest Johannesburg. The performance, which was announced in early May, was scheduled for New Years Eve 2018.
According to Mayo Clinic, autonomic nerve disorders, also referred to as dysautonomia, affect the body's nervous system and damage its ability to regulate involuntary functions like heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Common symptoms include chronic fatigue and feeling lightheaded, among other weaknesses.
Explaining her now five-month-old diagnosis in greater detail, she wrote: "It [has] been a journey that hasn’t been easy on me...Sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all. [...] I’m still learning so much myself, but right now, my doctors are not clearing me for such an extended lengthy flight, and doing a rigorous show right after."
Solange also expressed how "saddened" and "sorry" she was to cancel, mentioning that South Africa and its native residents remain near to her heart. "There is simply no other place I wanted to be than there with my family to bring in 2018 with you," she wrote."But I give you my ABSOLUTE WORD I will come back with AfroPunk and deliver this performance.....as it is so extremely important to me to connect with the people who have so closely inspired me in so many ways."
Ending the statement, Solange thanked AfroPunk and other festivals that have both kept the news concerning her health confidential plus "gone out of their way" to make her comfortable. Closing out 2017, paying closer attention to how she cares for herself is still atop of the artist's greatest priorities. "As a part of the self care that I’ve tried to encourage this past year, it needs to start with myself, and I’m looking forward to doing a better job of this 2018."