Sierra Leone to host West African festival

10 Sep 2018 - 16:00

On 16 November, Sierra Leone will host a festival involving several African countries in its capital city Freetown.

Kracktwist and Samza will be expected to perform at the 2018 Ecofest in Sierra Leone.

Ecofest Sierra Leone 2018, tagged When Lions Roar, will have acts from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia and Ghana gracing the stage at the National Stadium in Freetown.

The event is the product of Sierra Leonean label Kabaka Multimedia Entertainment, founded by Abubakar Turay, and Ghana's Empire Entertainment, as run by Nathan Kwabena Anokye Adisi, popularly known in his country as Bola Ray.

The precursor to the upcoming event was a previous partnership between Kabaka Multimedia Entertainment and Empire Entertainment that led to a number of Sierra Leonean acts performing at the 2018 edition of the popular annual concert Ghana Meets Naija.

"Ecofest can pass as a reloaded version of Ghana Meets Naija and every artist brought in is a household name in the continent and the subregion. We are concluding the formalities and very soon we will unveil the list of those artists that would be gracing a purpose-built stage at the National Stadium," said Turay, who, according to an official statement by the organisers "was particularly pleased that for the very first time, Sierra Leone will be playing host to musicians from five countries acclaimed for their musical dexterity".

"Turay aims to use entertainment as a medium to change the narrative of his country," the statement continues. "It is Sierra Leone’s turn to show Africa that we can be the best in music in terms of talent and artistic abilities, and it’s time to tell our own positive stories by ourselves."

The festival is the latest move for Kabaka Multimedia, a label that is home to some of the most popular artists in Sierra Leone, including Kracktwist and Samza, who were responsible for the 2017 hit song 'Thop'. Although the line-up is yet to be announced, the duo will be expected to perform at Ecofest.

Already, the organisers have said major acts will grace the Ecofest stage. "We are bringing the movers and the shakers," Bola Ray declared in a video posted online. "Superstars in Freetown. It's going to be a night to remember."