Afro Nation Ghana 2022 ends abruptly due to safety scare

Widely believed to be the biggest outdoor festival dedicated to Afropop, the urban beach festival aims to unite the African diaspora through music and culture, and made its return to the country three years after its debut.

The development happened during the performance of French-Congolese star Dadju, who was among the headliners for the event. Before him, the show had witnessed sets by local stars Camidoh, KiDi, Black Sherif and Stonebwoy. West African acts Gyakie, Kuami Eugene, P-Square, Tiwa Savage and CKay, South African amapiano star Kamo Mphela and US rapper Meek Mill performed on the previous night.

Nigerian artists Asake and Rema as well as British-Nigerian rapper Skepta, who were expected to close the event, were unable to perform.

According to the organisers, the decision was necessitated after security personnel at the gates were overwhelmed by teeming crowds attempting to force their way into the venue, many of them without tickets. No injuries were reported at the time of filing this story.

“Due to circumstances beyond our control, the show can’t go on,” a representative announced to patrons after Dadju’s performance ended, but not before the musician had been interrupted by Adesope Olajide, one of the show’s MCs, in an attempt to restore crowd order.

Speaking to Music In Africa, concertgoer Jennifer Asiedu said she felt let down by the turn of events. “The show was great from the beginning, but I am disappointed the rest of the artists didn’t come.” 

However, local arts journalist Gameli Hamelo held the view that “ending the show was the right decision”, adding that “continuing the show would have defeated the organisers’ goal of prioritising the safety of the artists and patrons in the first place.”

This is not the first time a safety scare has threatened a concert in Ghana this month. On 10 December, Afrobeats singer Wizkid failed to show up at an Accra Sports Stadium event he had been billed to headline, citing similar reasons.

“Unfortunately, up until the day of the show, there continued to be safety and production issues that prevented me from putting on a high-quality show that my fans deserve,” he said at the time.

This is a developing story.