THE KABAKA, HE WHO DARES WINS

HE SCORED A
BIG WIN WHEN
HE SIGNED
NIGERIA N
A RTIST -
PA TRORA NK ING
never designed to host a Kabaka-conceived spectacular of 30 artists, from
seven countries performing on a specially designed centralised stage, with an
ambitious lightshow, before an audience of tens of thousands.
In the execution, challenges with security, sound quality, timing, ticketing,
crowd control and other aspects of event management were expected and
planned for. But as is often the way in Sierra Leone?s logistically-compromised
environment ? the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and
unsurprisingly post-concert reviews were mixed. There were those who loved
it and those who felt quite the opposite. Nevertheless, ECOFEST may just have
marked the moment that Kabaka truly became Sierra Leone?s first bona fide
music mogul.
The story of how ECOFEST came about is uniquely Kabaka ? a mixture of
entrepreneurial initiative, good old nous, and cultural humility. It began with a
meeting between Kabaka and the Ghanaian media personality and
entrepreneur - Nathan Kwabena Anokye Adisi, popularly known as Bola Ray.
?Bola Ray owns Empire Entertainment ? it?s the biggest broadcast and event
management company in Ghana. It hosts Ghana meets Nigeria, which has been
bringing artists from the two countries together for several years now,? Kabaka
explains. ?I got his number and gave him a call. I said to him - I have arguably the
biggest record label in Sierra Leone, let?s talk. No one knows our artists outside
Sierra Leone. No one is singing our songs in Nigeria. I want to break that
barrier. Take me as your younger brother. You are the pioneers and I?m not shy
to admit we need help.?
When Bola Ray offered to include KME?s artists in the line-up for Ghana meets
Nigeria, in June 2018, Kabaka jumped at the opportunity. ?I took all my artists
and three who were not on my label, to Ghana. We opened the concert. The
idea was that we would then host Ghana meets Naija in Sierra Leone. But on
reflection I thought twice about the reaction we would get if we held a concert
of foreign artists. Then I thought about ECOWAS and the Mano River basin, and
I said let?s escalate Ghana meets Nigeria. Let?s have five nations represented in
Sierra Leone.?
Kabaka sat down and wrote out the proposal and worked out what it was going
to cost. The list of items on his budget included the PA system, generators, the
cost of hiring out the stadium, promotion and marketing,
printing costs, flights and accommodation and, of course,
security.
?The budget was $200,000. I did the maths to work out how
I could make the money back. I considered three scenarios ?
how much I?d make from an average show, a good show and
a really good show.? His next steps were to secure the
money, and the artists.
Kabaka?s approach to the finance was two-pronged. First, he
went to his bank for a business loan. Events such as the one
he was planning, are seldom considered as viable
propositions, by banks in Sierra Leone, he warns. ?There is
no precedent at any of the banks for this kind of thing. They
wouldn?t generally touch an event like this. They want to see
specific products.?
There are three pillars to his successful relationship with his
bank which all aspiring entrepreneurs could learn from.
These are longevity, trust and collateral. ?I?ve been banking
with Commercial Bank for some time. I have a good
relationship with them,? he explains. ?They have watched
our company?s development and witnessed how we have
handled previous events. They know me as someone who
keeps to my word, has standards and is able to put up the
required collateral.?
Kabaka was also hoping for sponsorship, but his business
plan did not depend on it. He says that while sponsors help
mitigate costs, Sierra Leone?s corporate world is still very
risk averse.
While he was raising the finance, he was simultaneously
approaching the performers he wanted for the event. He
scored a big win when he signed Nigerian artist Patoranking,
who since 2009 has become one of Nigeria?s leading artists
with his brand of reggae-dancehall influenced Afrobeats.
?The sooner we signed Patoranking, we had calls from Ivory
Coast, Senegal and Gambia,? Kabaka remembers.
The final line up was impressive ? seven nations and their
artists. Nigeria was represented by Patoranking and
Mayorkun. Kuami Eugene and Patapaa came in from Ghana.
Takana Zion represented Guinea; Liberia was CIC and
Photo by Nainoa Shizuru on Unsplash