Stage antic backfires as Joe Ikon escapes injury
Madness Entertainment, the management firm for Afro-piano artist Joe Ikon, has played down the injury the artist suffered at Moneymen ground in Blantyre after an antic gone wrong during his performance on Saturday.
In the aftermath, Joe Ikon twisted his ankle after he threw himself in the crowd and landed badly as he did one of his stage antics that characterises his live performances.
The Nkhawa Ndilibe composer is seen being helped back on stage by bouncers in a video that has gone viral. Although he continued with his performance, he was visibly in pain as he limped before regaining stability.
Following the incident, Madness Entertainment shared a picture of the artist on their Facebook page, showing his foot strapped in a protective wear with the caption: “Every player sustains an injury. What matters is the success that follows. Get well soon our soldier.”
One of his fans, identified as Kassim Kay-c Issah, said the incident raises serious concerns about safety and risk management.
He said the incident deserves a proper review to establish what went wrong and who was in the wrong.
Issah said: “Whether the artist jumped without the approval of management or not, management and event organisers have the responsibility to anticipate such risks, establish safety protocols and coordinate with stage security. Watching fall was painful.”
Julisean KC Chiwalo said: “Komanso zogwera anthuzo adzapweteka munthu (He risks injuring the patrons with his act).”
But in an interview yesterday, Madness Entertainment chief executive officer Kelvin ‘Jaakev’ Ngumuya said the injury is not as serious as it was being portrayed. He has also deflected suggestions of having the act properly handled with prior safety arrangements set in place.
He said: “When he is on stage he is just trying to be an artist. Just like in football, where we have players enjoying some trademarks, throwing himself on stage is what makes him to be Joe Ikon. It is his iconic signature.
“For us to come in and try to regulate that will dilute the whole essence. We leave him to be what he is. He has a lot of energy and that can be seen by the way he conducts himself. He is there to have fun with his fans.”
When contacted yesterday, Joe Ikon said: “Ndili bhoo Atate [I am alright man]. Thank you so much for checking on me.”
But in a separate interview, Mzuzu University assistant registrar and one-time arts editor, Cliff Kawanga, said high-energy gimmicks, including jumping from equipment, jumping into the crowd or utilising special effects require strict advance planning and clear coordination with venue management and stage crews well in advance.
He said: “I have had the opportunity to participate in and observe the preparations that go into an international live event firstly Big Brother Africa [2008] and the MTV Africa Music Awards in Lagos, Nigeria in 2010.
“What I observed at the time was that a foundational rule for live performance is that safety and venue parameters must always dictate stage antics. Rather than occurring spontaneously, the stage stunts must be treated as integrated elements of the overall production, where crew members are actively involved in the performance.”
Kawanga said it was important that trained crew members and security personnel must be strategically positioned beforehand to secure the landing, support the artist and clear the surrounding area.
