Malawi should await its Kizz Daniel experience
This week, the social media was awash with developments which happened in Tanzania concerning Africa’s global music star Kizz Daniel.
A series of reported mishaps to do with his travel eventually led the artist to cancel his planned appearance at a gig in Tanzania. Understandably, this did not please the legion of his Tanzanian fans who went on rampage to ransack the venue of the scheduled performance in a show of anger and disappointment.
That was not all for the singer as security agents in the country briefly detained him for his role in causing the mayhem. Looking at the pictures and video clips which were in circulation, it was not a pleasant sight for an artist who is so loved and boasting of such a profile.
It was a relief on Tuesday evening when the singer appeared at a press briefing alongside promoters of the show where he explained his side of the story and offered a timely apology to his fans. As an icing on the cake, the Nigerian committed to perform today at a free gig to compensate for those who bought tickets for his aborted show.
From his explanation, the whole hullaballoo stemmed from a problem with a flight he took from Kenya to Tanzania which unfortunately left his luggage and equipment behind. That was in addition to the flight’s seven-hour delay on its original schedule.
According to the artist, by the time he arrived in Tanzania he only had some slip-ons on and nothing else. Despite efforts to savage the situation by deploying equipment sourced in Tanzania, the show could not realistically go on and he had to make the hard decision of staying away from the show.
In a situation like that one, where things are happening so fast, it is always expected that something has to give. Instead of forcing a situation which was impossible to savage, maybe what the artist and the promoters needed to do was to engage each other in a dialogue to save the crisis.
An honest assessment of the situation was supposed to take place and come up with realistic targets of what they could have obtained in the given scenario. It is always hard to pacify patrons who have paid for the show in such circumstances.
But a little communication just to show them that the singer was still on their side could have saved athe situation. No matter the disappointment that they could have walked home with, at least they could have gone with a little hope.
With Kizz Daniel’s scheduled show here in Malawi on the horizon, the developments in Tanzania generated massive interest here at home. The biggest worry and question on people’s mind was whether we are primed to be the next victims of such a mishap.
Issues of flight delays and luggage missing are not uncommon in this part of the world. Kizz Daniel is not the first and will not be the last victim. Some few weeks ago, our own Madalitso Band spent countless nights stranded at the airport due to the same flight issues.
This incident is just what the local organisers needed so they can make their arrangements and organization waterproof. They should avoid a scenario where the artist arrives in the country few hours before his performance.
For an event of such magnitude, it does not hurt to have the artist arrive two days before the event. In that case you give yourself space to make sure everything is in place by the day of the performance.
Hearing from Epic Lounge team, who are organisers of the August 27 show, one had to admire their sense of calmness. Amid such a storm, Epic director Yollam Kawanga said their focus remains delivering a once-in-a-lifetime show for Malawians. Anything short of that is not their obsession.
I love that spirit. Let the Malawi Kizz Daniel concert be different from everything he has been through before. Our story and any possible shake-ups in our affections with the Buga star will be determined with what he will deliver to us at Lilongwe Golf Club on the day.
Bring it on Buga Boy!
