Sierra Leone: ECOFEST returns to Freetown

The event has been tagged, ‘A night of music festivities and humour’, and will take place after two successful editions in Sierra Leone and the Gambia.

The festival serves as an exchange platform for culture and music. This year's line-up includes Slimcase (Nigeria), Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania), Sophia (the Gambia), Tay Grin (Malawi) and Jose Chameleone (Uganda). They will be joined by local artists Kindo Armani, Richie Obama, Desmond Benya, Yemata, Innocent, K Man, Famous, Arkman, KME All Stars and Star Zee as well as Ghanaians Kuami Eugene and Kidi, among others.

Well-known Nigerian comedian Basket Mouth will host the show.

The third ECOFEST is going beyond West Africa to include Uganda and Tanzania and will bring together artists from 10 African countries for the first time. The festival will also showcase Salone (Sierra Leonean) music with more than 20 local acts.

“This show demonstrates that the festival is an international brand," event promoter and Kabaka Multimedia and Entertainment CEO Abu Bakarr Turay said. "The forthcoming event in Freetown will not only celebrate African music but also create a night of humour from Africa’s finest comedy acts”

“ECOFEST is the first of its kind, amalgamating the entertainment industry of West African countries. We are escalating the now legendary Ghana Meets Naija show to another level.

“It is clear that the two giants of West Africa, Nigeria and Ghana, are blazing the trail in the entertainment industry in the region and Africa as a whole, accounting for millions of dollars in revenue every year."

But the situation is quite different in Sierra Leone, the Gambia, Liberia and Guinea. In Sierra Leone, YouTube views are at a record low. There is also no venue that can accommodate a large crowd of people, except for Siaka Stevens Stadium.

The maiden edition of ECOFEST was held in November 2018 in Sierra Leonne and hosted artists from seven West African countries. In April 2019, the second edition, which was themed Battle of the Storms, was held at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, the Gambia, with nine countries represented.