Team Salone excels at Ecofest 2019 in Freetown

By Ibrahim Sorious Samura

Sierra Leonean musicians and comedians were the stars of the night at the 2019 Ecofest Music Festival held on the 30th November 2019 at the Siaka Stevens Stadium in Freetown. About 17 musical acts and 6 comedians represented Sierra Leone at this year’s festival. All of them delivered thunderous performances to the satisfaction of all witnessed.

Stellar performances were seen from mega stars like – Dallas Bantan, Salone JQ, Innocent, KME, Empress P, Famous, Arkman, Star Zee, Morris, K Man and Boss LAJ. They were accorded their due respects, and each performed to his/her satisfaction without any interruption from the organisers. One major worry for most Sierra Leoneans was how the organisers would manage the time for the various invited performers, but that fear has been outlived. Kudos to John Konteh for the proper planning and management of all performances.

Diamond Platnumz was however the headline for Ecofest 2019, but from all indications, Sierra Leonean stars carried the night. Their stage appearances were sensational, every fan was literally singing their songs while performing on stage. So incredible to see! They have given a new face to Salone Music to the International audience.

Kabaka, we cannot find the right adjectives to describe your astuteness, love, passion to promote the Sierra Leone music industry. Your announcement of Ecofest 2019 was met with tough resistances from certain quarters of our society, but you believed in it, persevered and survived the persecutions, endured and triumphed at last. The CEO of KME is a gem to the Salone Music industry. You have revitalised a once defunct sector in which many investors are unwilling to invest, but you beat all the odds and put back smiles on the faces of our stars. You are a success story. Ecofest will live on.

Ecofest is now the biggest stage for African music, Basket Mouth and Diamond Platnumz said it. About 70,000 fans filled the Siaka Stevens Stadium, and our stars benefited hugely from that crowd. Those performances will be in their archives throughout their music careers.

Basket Mouth made it no secret that Ecofest was his biggest platform in his career, “I have never performed in a crowd like this before in my life.” There were also foreign performances from acts like – Abiba from The Gambia, Sofia from Liberia, Instinct Killers from Guinea, Kiddi from Ghana, Tay Grin from Malawi, Kwame Eugene from Ghana, Jose Chameleone from Uganda, Slim Case from Nigeria, and the man of the moment Diamond Platnumz from Tanzania. Brilliant performances were also seen from top notch Sierra Leonean comedians, such as Kindo Armani, Oga Worwor, Desmond Benya, Faculty, Richie Obama and Yemata. The jam session of the show came from DJ Barbie, a female DJ from Sound City Nigeria. She delivered a 30-minute mix of classic African sounds. Pilot CPO was the chef of the show. The SLeDU President spinned the heads and minds of the audience as the Host DJ, supported by the Jam Master, Dee Jay Jesse of AfriRadio and Choice FM. What about SL’s best female MC, Phebe Swill? She was just amazing on stage. No crowd is big for her. The AYV TV Presenter was part of the success story alongside Nigeria’s finest comedian, Basket Mouth.