East Africa Reggae Show Flops
We waited in vain for the promised East African Reggae carnival mid this year.
By Sebidde Kiryowa
We waited in vain for the promised East African Reggae carnival mid this year.
The organisers had promised that reggae artistes from the three East African countries would unite for a reggae carnival akin to the annual Reggae Sumfest that takes place in Nairobi.
This reggae extravaganza, we were told, would sweep across East Africa like a blizzard, leaving a trail of reggae-smitten audiences after the powerful monthly concerts that would be held in the three countries over a three-month period.
This would of course win reggae music genre hordes of new fans across the board.
Artistes who had been lined up for the performance included the Blood Brothers and Prince Max (Uganda); Jah’key Marley, Sweet Belton and Mighty King Kong (Kenya); Jhiko Mayinka and Jackal Man (Tanzania).
But like the many big concerts we have seen flop, plans to hold this one crumbled. In its aftermath, fingers were pointed and accusations were traded. Greed and intrigue were sighted as some of the vices that hampered the concert.
Humphrey Egesa, director of Galaxy records, a local record label that was co-organising the carnival with Tanzanian counterpart Gotta Irie, a presenter at the Dar-es-Salaam-based East Africa FM, says the trouble started with artistes in Uganda.
“Some of the Ugandan artists who were to participate in the carnival went to my Tanzanian counterpart with confusing and contradictory statements. They hiked their fees way above what our budget could accommodate. It doubled what the Kenyan and Tanzanian singers asked for. At the end of it all, the whole thing became too costly for us. We had to back out of the deal.â€
On a happier note however, Egesa says that the carnival is being re-organised to place next year around April.Ends
We waited in vain for the promised East African Reggae carnival mid this year.
The organisers had promised that reggae artistes from the three East African countries would unite for a reggae carnival akin to the annual Reggae Sumfest that takes place in Nairobi.
This reggae extravaganza, we were told, would sweep across East Africa like a blizzard, leaving a trail of reggae-smitten audiences after the powerful monthly concerts that would be held in the three countries over a three-month period.
This would of course win reggae music genre hordes of new fans across the board.
Artistes who had been lined up for the performance included the Blood Brothers and Prince Max (Uganda); Jah’key Marley, Sweet Belton and Mighty King Kong (Kenya); Jhiko Mayinka and Jackal Man (Tanzania).
But like the many big concerts we have seen flop, plans to hold this one crumbled. In its aftermath, fingers were pointed and accusations were traded. Greed and intrigue were sighted as some of the vices that hampered the concert.
Humphrey Egesa, director of Galaxy records, a local record label that was co-organising the carnival with Tanzanian counterpart Gotta Irie, a presenter at the Dar-es-Salaam-based East Africa FM, says the trouble started with artistes in Uganda.
“Some of the Ugandan artists who were to participate in the carnival went to my Tanzanian counterpart with confusing and contradictory statements. They hiked their fees way above what our budget could accommodate. It doubled what the Kenyan and Tanzanian singers asked for. At the end of it all, the whole thing became too costly for us. We had to back out of the deal.â€
On a happier note however, Egesa says that the carnival is being re-organised to place next year around April.Ends