Chaos, arrest as Scott Maphuma no-show mars Linus Tattoo Festival

A packed show, chaos, and an arrest defined the Linus Tattoo Festival (Amapiano Edition) last Friday at Millennium Grounds in Lugogo, Kampala.

The event featured several acts that the audience considered time-wasters, as they had come specifically to see Scott Maphuma. Etania Mutoni, Viana Ndi, Pest MC, Joshua Baraka, and Elijah Kitaka all performed.

The standout among them was Etania, who arrived with a bevy of dancers in black and camouflage shorts. She stuck to her signature performance, juggling between the DJ decks and dancing, and ended her set by inviting Joshua Baraka to the decks. His work there was forgettable, but he soon returned to his real strength: singing.

Elijah Kitaka performed two songs after Joshua Baraka, then passed the stage to Linus Gimei Sydney. Following his own performance, Linus invited two South African Amapiano DJs, Cowboy and Official RSA. That was the end of the show, much to the frustration of the young crowd that had turned up.

The audience was infuriated because the main act, South African DJ Scott Maphuma, failed to appear, despite organizers having paid him $20,000 (about sh73 million) as per their earlier agreement. He allegedly made additional demands that the promoter did not meet. Maphuma only sent his manager to Kampala.

The manager, identified only as Lethang, was reportedly arrested and detained at Jinja Road Police Station. According to Linus, "He was released on Sunday after refunding sh73 million."