ONEXTRA: Enough with Naija divas

Nigerian singer Davido performs at the Carnivore, Kenya. PHOTO | MARYANNE MUMBI

What you need to know:

  • We love their music but they have proven time and again that they really don’t care for their fans whenever they come touring in Kenya.
  • Pathetic performances, oversized egos and never honouring their contracts seems to be their modus operandi.
  • Isn’t it time we started loving what’s within our borders?

Kenyan revellers are a forgiving lot. Despite many disappointments and being left high and dry, they continue to pour their hard earned money down the very same drain. One Nigerian act after another, it is now a trend to have these continental musical giants come and offer lackadaisical performances yet whenever a new singer is advertised, the fans still line up to be fooled for the umpteenth time.

Failed concerts have come in all shapes and sizes yet none as spectacular as those with Nigerian headliners.

In 2015, Davido’s visit to Kenya was a complete train wreck. From a head scratching interview on NTV to what still is, remarkably, the worst performance by a foreign star in recent history.

The man who was reportedly paid Sh5.5 million performed for a few minutes which were marred by missing voice and shoddy on stage display. Fans and organisers were livid but the man never even tweeted an apology.

This fiasco was further made worse by his fellow countryman Burna Boy, who in April this year, called Kenyans “peasants” after he was criticised for a shoddy performance at Club Privee, Nairobi.

The musician ended up angering many of those who turned up after he showed up some minutes to 3 am only to perform for a mere hour.

Now, to his credit, Wizkid’s performance in July was good but it was the event’s organisation that was a hot mess.

Everyone was complaining; fans, who had to queue for hours, artistes who were literally not catered for and were even being kicked out after their performances.

Now to the man of the moment, Tekno Miles. He was the main talking point online for the better part of the week because of his same script, different cast episode.

The trend, it seems, is set. It begins with the announcement of a concert to be headlined by a top Naija musician.

This news is often received with mixed reactions. “Why is it so expensive, why not give Kenyan acts a chance? Didn’t the last Naija star teach you guys anything?”

This usually goes on for a while and then it dies down until a few weeks to the show when a few paid social media influencers start talking up the show complete with a hashtag. The same people that were frothing at the mouth are now waxing lyrical and this sustained campaign sees people start buying tickets.

The day of the show, the star arrives in the morning, posts a few pictures to announce to all and sundry that he is in Kenya.

Kenyans Retweet, Like and Share the posts and it’s all systems go.

At 10pm, the first tweets starting streaming in mostly from people complaining of traffic to the venue, then traffic to get in, then the complaints go a notch higher, “We are herded in like goats, I did not pay money for this...”

Then everything goes quiet, people sleep and wake up Sunday morning wondering how the show went. Many are secretly hoping the show was a disaster and it usually turns out to be true.

The same people who complained about Davido, WizKid, Burna Boy, Omarion are now doing the same about Tekno.

The big question is, why don’t we ever learn?

Why do they keep paying big money to see these Nigerian egomaniacs yet it’s the Kenyan curtain raisers who actually deliver?

DJ Creme has toured the globe plying his trade and shared the stage with many showbiz heavyweights. He was conscripted at the last minute to deejay for Tekno and the results were disastrous that he was allegedly kicked off the stage.

“We really glorify these Naija artistes to a point they feel hot; they don’t show up for interviews, sound check but we let them get away with it. We pay them more here than they get back at home,” he says. “Damian Marley is a bigger artiste yet he performed for two hours, but a Nigerian star will do 30 minutes with playback. It’s our fault we let them get away with it.”

According to Creme, the Kenyan  obsession with Nigerian music is but a symptom of the overall cultural take over.

“During my gigs, I can’t play a set without receiving a request for a Nigerian song from fans,” he admits. “Let’s be honest these guys invest in their brands and their music; they work together and trade ideas that’s why they are taking over the world. Unfortunately we are too individualistic; everyone is doing their own thing.” 

Kitawi ‘Tele’ Mwakitele is the managing director of Hype Entertainment, the outfit that was behind The Wave with Tekno Miles. Tele has been behind a string of successful events including Earthdance Nairobi; that has run since 2015, the Hakuna Matata Festival, and Sunglasses at Night.

Tele contends that there’s a need to enforce harsher penalties for foreign artistes who breach their contractual obligations and have dispute resolutions arbitrated in Kenya. He has promised to release the “after movie” for the Wave With Tekno Miles which will showcase what the Kenyan talent did at the show.

The Kansoul absolutely nailed their performance and Tele hopes that distributing this content widely will begin to shift perceptions.

“My job is to create platforms for artistes to showcase their ability and equip them with the tools needed to give a killer performance. What they do with that platform is entirely up to them,” he adds.

The power of the Nigerian brand is unquestionable; they pull crowds and demand attention. Though they sometimes lack the big performance to back up the big name, there’s a lot our Kenyan artistes can learn from them.

Christopher Kirwa is a veteran showbiz event organiser who has participated in countless brand activations over the years.

Mr Kirwa suggests that Kenyan artistes should emulate people like Sauti Sol and keep pushing till they get a breakthrough.

It’s a good thing that Kenyans have finally got to a point where they can pay top dollar for a concert ticket.

The challenge now is to ensure Kenyan artistes get their fair share of that cake. At the end of the day it’s a battle for hearts and minds and the West Africans seem to be winning.

However, after all the heart break that this love affair has brought us, maybe it’s time we got over the Nigerian obsession and paid a little more attention to the people who actually respect and really value our attention and monies; our local artistes.