What is ailing Reggae concerts in Kenya?

Last Saturday by midnight, young Nairobi party lovers were on social media sharing their fun moments at the ASK Showground, Nairobi, where Kemar Donaldson aka Kranium was staging a concert.

The Nobody Has to Know hit maker had pulled an enviable crowd, a happy lot that sung and drunk the night away till the wee hours of the morning.

The dancehall star whose Endless Vibes and Higher Life (featuring Chronic Law) projects have been a hit in his Higher Life Tour did not struggle for publicity neither did he disappoint. The lights burned and the smoke went high as Jah children went ‘irie’ over riddims and beats.

In a city now used to hosting celebrated international acts almost every weekend, Kranium was not the only music icon in town neither was his the most hyped concert.

Burning Spear – a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots artistes to emerge from the 1970s – was in the city where ‘aluta’ rules and so was Glen Washington who had returned to the city in the sun for the third time for a massive harvest that never was.

The three artistes produced contrasting results that might make good case studies for Etana – their country girl who is on her way for a December concert, still in the city where reggae waits for no weekend.

There has been a big debate on what really happened as a city that is known to eat and sleep reggae gave a wide berth to two of the biggest roots veterans to ever live. How could Glen Washington who had been here about three weeks before his main concert score the worst mark in terms of show attendance numbers?

By the way, he is still in the country and as Kenyan’s are popularly fond of, he might be getting a Kenyan name for the over stayed welcome.

In the city, the 79-year-old Grammy award winning Burning Spear performed at Uhuru Park on Saturday, while Glen Washington, whose 2001 Jet Star project hit Kindness for Weakness remains one of the biggest reggae in Kenya, held his show at the Nakuru Athletics Club.

Burning Spear was initially tipped to hold his concert at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

Burning Spear [Courtesy]

Ticket prices had already been announced. Some fans had already purchased the tickets online. Many were shocked when the venue was changed at the last minute. His much touted One People Africa tour was “hijacked”.

The event was moved to Uhuru Park with the entry fee waived – this out of what seemed to be a political interest.

“…Due to the announcement of a parallel free entry Burning Spear event at Uhuru Park by the Governor of Nairobi County Hon Sakaja Johnson, we regret to inform you that we have been left with no option but to cancel the official tour event scheduled for November 2, 2024 at the KICC. Ticket holders who purchased through mtaani.com will receive a full refund within three days. Those who bought through other platforms must be refunded within seven days,” read a statement by one Prince Otach, who was part of the organising team.

However, this was not the first time the event had been cancelled. Early in October, Prince Otach had shared a statement on his socials over the event.

“Originally a show was scheduled for October 12, 2024 at the Uhuru Gardens, arranged to be executed by a local promoter. Regrettably the show was cancelled due to sound issues,” read part of the statement.

The event was to be held while also commemorating the coronation of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selasie, a revered and influential figure within the Rastafarian community.

The concert registered dismal attendance. Critics bashed at the promoters online.

Award-winning gospel singer Daddy Owen was among those who lashed out at the group stating he was sad to see such high profile reggae artistes given a wide berth.

“Event organizers, please put some respect to these legendary artistes like Burning Spear and Glen Washington. Do some marketing for your events,” Daddy Owen said.

“Why plan all that and not market your event well? Sad to see the outcome of those events. I saw the videos; I thought it was just a sound check,”  he said.

Jamaican artiste Dondeman who also experienced a low turnout in Narok has been visiting and performing in the country in the last decade, but now confesses that he is witnessing a decline in the reggae scene.

“Since I started coming to Kenya about 10 years ago, things have changed. After the corona pandemic the music scene shifted to Afrobeats, Amapiano and then came Gengetone and now Arbantone, which are the preferred Gen Z genres. There are fewer cubs hosting reggae nights too as compared to previously where we had a night or two dedicated entirely to reggae,” he says.

Popular for his 2022 releases Sex and Fufu and Bodyguard, Dondeman has recorded a number of collaborations with Kenyan artistes including Jua Cali (Nachoma) and Cynthia Boss (Nakupenda).

“As societies advance and cultural trends undergo changes, the association between the historical significance of reggae and modern audiences seems to be lessening. Notably, younger generations are impacted by a variety of cultural influences, which has led to a shift in their musical tastes towards alternative genres. The Gen Z population are not so much into reggae music in Kenya as compared to previous generations,” Dondeman says.

Popular publicist Gloria Adhiambo, who has handled a number of international musicians during their tours in the country, opines that reggae events are struggling due to the lack of strategic and comprehensive marketing.

“Many promoters are relying solely on the artistes' popularity rather than focusing on essential event promotion tactics. While a popular artiste can attract fans, changing times require a more thorough approach to consistently sell out events,” says Gloria.

“Effective marketing means reaching a broader audience and crafting experiences that make attendees feel the event is worth the ticket price. Unfortunately, some promoters fall into a cycle of mediocrity, expecting that simply booking a known artiste will lead to success, when in fact, this approach often leads to disappointing results,” she says.

Today’s concertgoers seek value, and to satisfy that, promoters need a solid strategy that covers all aspects; from pre-event promotion to post-event engagement.

DVJ Kaygee Karuga who plies his trade in Embu and Meru towns, areas considered reggae hot spots, says the problem of low turn up is contributed by a number of factors.

“Most of the time the choice of venue, the gate charges and the kind of marketing will determine whether the event will be a success. Posting on social media, having road shows and having posters on the streets are not simply enough. You need to build an event that involves activations before the main event,” he says.

“At times you will find that an event is planned in an office Nairobi or abroad where a few people in the name of promoters plan for an event targeting a certain artiste, while on the grounds things are different and people want a different profile of artiste,” he adds.

Local 'politricks'

“When reggae music started making inroads in the country in the 80s and cementing its place in the 90s, the market was structured and organised. There existed the likes of Shashamane, Mau Mau, Supremacy and Empire Sounds. All of them knew what role to play but they did not lay the foundations for the future,” says Popular DJ Sounds of Riley.

Riley says this played part in creating enemity among the various operating groups to the extend of sabotaging one another.

“Some of us that have been trying to do a proper show but there are bottle necks everywhere. People are gatekeeping these spaces ad yet do not want to improve the business front. We should be having a yearly festival like Rototom Sunsplash: A large festival that takes place in Benicàssim, Spain and Reggae Geel in Europe that attracts thousands of reggae lovers from across the world,” he says.

Riley says the gatekeepers have also refused to support local artistes and help them network with their Jamaican counterparts for collaborations and cultural exchange programs.

Tourist prices with low numbers

Luke Boy a showbiz promoter who is based in Dubai and Nairobi says most reggae charging promoters exorbitant fees to perform at shows, which at the end of the day, the do not reciprocate by bringing numbers.

“Reggae music is declining in Kenya because of a number of reasons. One of the leading factors is high profile reggae artistes want to charge too much money to come to Africa and most promoters cannot afford it,” he says.

“A number of these artistes are charging promoters what is commonly referred to as 'tourist prices' especially in Dubai, which we use to help offset the balance sheet incase thing in Kenya do no go well for us. I mean if someone charges over $25,000 and we cannot recoup back that money, then it becomes an issue,” he adds.

While the genre may not command the same level of mainstream attention as it did historically, it continues to flourish within its committed community of fans and practitioners. To remain relevant and resonate with newer generations, the genre may need to embrace change.

“When you compare how the Kranium event was promoted as compared to the rest, there was elements of target marketing especially on the use of social media which worked. I knew there were a number of reggae in town but again, Kranium was top of my list and you will find that most Gen Z were there,” says Johnny Salash, an avid reggae fan.

There is no doubt that reggae remains one of the main music genres embraced in the Kenyan entertainment sector. Take a random check and you will find a major reggae show taking place from Sunday to Tuesday in leading Nairobi entertainment joints every week.

Commonly known ‘Aluta’, some of these reggae party nights go non-stop for 36-hours with deejays and hype masters changing spots as the party goes on non-stop.

“Kenyans love reggae. I think the promoters bringing in these artistes need to do more research on why their events are not attracting the thousands of reggae lovers in this country.

Probably it is the choice of artiste they bring in versus the relevance in terms of who is popular at a given time. For example, I am sure if you brought in Vybz Kartel here now you would fill a stadium,” says popular reggae hype master and events guru Kyallo Munguti aka Cool C.

“Some fans are of the feeling that we are bringing in washed-up stars who have been recycled over and over. Some have been here many times and might not have much to give and for that matter, fans feel that we are being used as a dumping ground where anyone who might not be able to get a show anywhere else comes for redemption. It is nothing to do with reggae popularity declining,” says Cool C.

Who can stop reggae if the genre speaks into a way of life?

“Reggae in the bathroom, reggae in the bedroom/Reggae everywhereReggae in jail, reggae in church/Everybody likes…” goes the lyrics of the popular late Lucky Dube hit Nobody can Stop Reggae.