Reggae music concerts, especially in Kenya, have been branded as
a hub of hooliganism, theft and harassment of the highest level in the
entertainment industry.
Most people who go to the concerts with their
valuables often go home without them after having being forcefully
relieved by hooligans calling themselves reggae fans.
But last weekend, the Tarrus Riley and Etana
concert held at the Carnivore grounds opened another chapter of reggae
history in the Kenyan entertainment scene. Expensive phones, iPads and
digital cameras were all up during the concert, filming and taking
photos of performance after performance, something that almost never
happens.
The revellers who walked into the grounds were not
your regular hooligans smelling night club violence in downtown clubs
but those who frequent uptown clubs. With over 3,000 people attending
the concert last weekend, the Tarrus Riley and Etana show passes as one
of the best organised reggae concerts in Kenya in a long while.
The question is, was this influenced by the fact
that reggae has moved from downtown clubs and the slums to up-market or
did the organisers just decide to take the necessary measures to make
the event worthwhile?
Tarrus and Etana
According to Big Tunes Festival of Music, the
Australia-based promoters and event management company that brought
Tarrus and Etana to Nairobi last weekend, there were 258 security guards
manning the event. Other than the normal club bouncers present at the
venue, there were a total number of 40 police officers, some with
sniffer dogs, traffic police and others who maintained general security
in the place.
“As we organised the event from day one, the most
important thing that we had in mind is the safety of every person who
will attend the event,” says Otieno Makochieng of Big Tunes Festival of
Music.
“We have organised many events in Australia, and
we have always maintained that the very first thing to take care of is
the safety of the person who will come to support our event and the
musicians we bring on stage. They must be comfortable and enjoy the show
without fear.”
For more on this article head over to Daily Nation
For more on this article head over to Daily Nation
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