Top hip-hop musicians and stakeholders in the entertainment industry in Nigeria have expressed worry over the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, noting that it is adversely affecting their business.
Among the entertainers who voiced out their concerns were Kingsley Okonkwo, known to fans as KCEE;Galala crooner, John Asiemo, also known as Daddy Showkey; and the President, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria, Kevin Lucciano.
Speaking during the inauguration of the “Lighting up the unity flame for Nigeria” in Lagos recently, Okonkwo said, “Imagine organising a show and finding the hall empty because people are afraid to come out of their houses and parents have forbidden their children from attending.
“That is going to signal the end of our career. It is not only the victims and their family members that are feeling the pangs; the entertainment industry is also taking a hit because every musician depends on the audience who turn up for a musical show.”
Also speaking during the campaign, Daddy Showkey said he went into a bank and met a very shocking sight. He recounted how bank workers kept very wide distance from customers who needed one form of assistance or the other. He observed that the situation had caused a serious stigma and was posing a danger to coexistence.
A public communications practitioner, Tyler Babatunde, observed that a lot of musical shows were being cancelled because the Federal Government had said people should limit meetings that called for large crowds. Although he decried the effect of the decision on the fortunes of artistes, Babatunde welcomed it, noting that in an epidemic situation such as the one the nation was facing, it was necessary to preserve lives.
Another musician, Dare Fasasi, also known as Baba Dee, said it was advisable for people to stop organising shows that could attract huge crowds during this period.
PMAN President, Lucciano said the essence of the campaign was to employ music as an instrument of unity and healing. He expressed optimism that through music, most of the tension generated by the combined effect of the epidemic and poor security situation in the country would be reduced.
The charity concert was organised by PMAN in collaboration with Classic events, organisers of Classic Music Hall of Fame and South African-based South-West Media consulting company.