By Ibrahim Sorious Samura

Two mega artistes from KME, I-tribe and M.I.C, and DJ Jesse from Choice FM and AfriRadio have just landed in Freetown a stellar performance at the just concluded ‘Sand Music Festival’ in Malawi.

Team Salone participated in the 3-day festival, which took place between Friday 1st November to Sunday 3rd November 2019 at the Kabumba Hotel in Salima,125km from Lilongwe, the Capital of Malawi. It was the first time Sierra Leonean acts have been invited to this festival through the blessings and support of Lawyer Abu Bakarr Turay, aka Kabaka, CEO of the Kabaka Multimedia & Entertainment (KME), as he tirelessly works to put Sierra Leone music at the international stage and market. Kabaka remains the biggest entertainment promoter in Sierra Leone, producing one of the biggest music festival (ECOFEST) in Africa, and also running a successful music label, KME.

I-tribe and M.I.C performed on Saturday 2nd November 2019, alongside DJ Jesse as the Host DJ for the night. The festival also attracts performances from King Sounds from Jamaica, Reggae Sisters from South Africa, Vee Mampenzy from Botswana, Rafael Loopro, a DJ from Germany, Malawi’s biggest artist Tay Grin (who will also perform at this year’s ECOFEST in Freetown) was on stage, and many musicians from other countries.

The Sunbird Sand Music Festival is Malawi’s hallmark event that draws together tourists, local people, businesses, organizations, media and visitors from all over the world on an annual basis to celebrate the Malawi’s richness, diversity, dynamism and heritage.

Since its inception 9 years ago, the Sunbird Sand Music Festival has grown in visitors numbers and now counts as the largest event of its kind in Malawi. The 2014 Festival attracted over 6,000 visitors, 100 exhibitors and MK2 million in media coverage, establishing it as one of the most visible event brands in Malawi.

The ‘Sand Music Festival is an international music exchange platform just like the great ECOFEST, Sierra Leone’s built stage for Africa.

On his Facebook page, DJ Jesse commends Kabaka for making the exchange a reality. “Thanks To Abu Bakarr Turay aka TheKabaka for the Sand_Music_Festival 2019! It was a Big Success! Having Such a platform to represent Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 takes us Global!”, he writes.