Smade, the co-founder of Afro Nation, a leading music festival has revealed the real reason the concert hasn’t been staged in Lagos, Nigeria despite being hosted by other countries across Europe, America, and Africa.
The music entrepreneur, whose real name is Adesegun Adeosun Jr. bemoaned the posture of the Lagos state government towards projects of this magnitude. He questioned the intent of the state government in a no-holds-barred interview on Ayo Shonaiya’s documentary, Afrobeats: The Backstory.
Afro Nation which has become one of the highly anticipated concerts for Africans in the diaspora is a celebration of African music, culture, and talents. At the forefront of projecting Afro beats to the globe are some of the leading acts from the continent including Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, and Stonebwoy.
Starting in 2019, Portugal, Ghana, and Puerto Rico have hosted different versions of the festival.
“The reason why we created Afro Nation was to unify and bring everybody and celebrate everyone. Celebrate the culture, showcase our talents, our different talents. Make the mainstream respect us Africans and make us superstars”.
Smade
He added why Lagos is not hosting:
“I am an African ambassador. I might be Nigerian by birth but I’m African. We have been doing this thing for so long, why have they not supported what we have been doing? Why have they not seen that there’s a need for them to support them? I did 14 shows last year, and no one from Lagos State Tourism reached out to me, encouraged me, try to say okay, how can we help you. Before I created Afronation with my partner, we went to different countries and we chose Ghana because of the experience we had in Ghana.
“So if the government is ready to work with us, we can do something in Nigeria but for now, we’re working with the Ghanaian government”.
Smade
Afro Nation festival is going to Nigeria
Nigerian artist Davido hinted in his recent interview that Nigeria will be hosting the Afro Nation festival for the first time.
He made this revelation while promoting his ‘Timeless’ album.
His comment was triggered by a conversation on African countries like Ghana using their beachfront for leisure and tourism.
Davido said:
“Afro Nation is going to Lagos for the first time, so that’s gonna be fire”.
Davido
A few months ago, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyemang, also said in an interview that he was apprised of information that other countries had expressed interest in having events like AfroFuture (formerly Afrochella) and Afro Nation.
He said:
“We want to go back to the cabinet and say ‘this is the document, this is what we did in ‘December in GH’, this is what they are saying, this is the impact, these are the numbers that came in; for us to sustain this to a level”.
Akwasi Agyemang
He added:
“Other countries are pushing. I mean I know, Ruddy, talk to the Afrochella guys and Little Havana. People have approached them. Countries have approached them to bring the events to them”.
Akwasi Agyemang
He said this while stressing the need for Ghanaians to cherish the ‘Beyond the Return’ agenda and the benefits it has brought the nation.
Apart from Afro Nation Ghana, there are Afro Nation U.S., Afro Nation Puerto Rico, Afro Nation Mexico, and Afro Nation Portugal.
The organizers of Afro Nation have signed a 5-year partnership deal with the government of Ghana. The first edition was held in December 2019, took a break due to the coronavirus pandemic, and returned in December 2022.
Although the organizers of Afro Nation have not made an official announcement of the Nigeria edition of the festival and when it will be held, some Ghanaians have already started expressing concern about how it may affect Afro Nation Ghana and the whole December GH initiative.
Afro Nation is organized by Live Nation, Event Horizon, Smade Entertainment, and Memories of Tomorrow.
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