The much anticipated Madaraka Festival that was set to begin on 25th May to June 17th has been postponed. The festival was to be a 3-day affair to celebrate African music. According to the organizers, it was to be headlined by Nyashinski, Eddy Kenzo, and Savara of SautiSol.
Other acts were reggae sensation Dynamq of South Sudan and Naomi Achu. The festival is a 13-city United States tour set to be held in cities like Los Angeles, Washington DC, and New York.
The music and cultural festival was launched in 2014 in the United States, Seattle, by Javan Okello. Okello is a Kenyan Nyatiti artist and social entrepreneur. It was started “to empower diversity and inclusion in Seattle communities by deepening the relationship between African and African American communities, and fostering partnerships with other international communities”.
Madaraka Festival Postponed
Announcing the postponement, the Madaraka Festival team put out an official statement on social media. “As we near our 10th anniversary, we are excited to mark this significant milestone with all of you. However, regrettably, due to unforeseen visa processing issues impacting some of our headline performers, we find it necessary to postpone the festival to a later date this year. Rest assured, we will promptly announce the rescheduled dates for the Madaraka Festival USA Tour”, the statement read in part.
“Ticketmaster will be sending emails to all current ticketholders with instructions and information on refunds. Refunds will be available at the point of purchase.”
The Festival Will be There
“We urge you to stay engaged with us for updates by following our social media channels and subscribing to the Madaraka Festival Podcast on YouTube for the most up-to-date information. Your unwavering support is truly valued, and we eagerly anticipate coming together to celebrate with you soon.”
“We sincerely thank you for your understanding and continued backing of our mission to elevate East African Music and Culture onto the global platform,” finished the statement.
Last week, singer and rapper Nyanshiski was the first to pull out citing a lack of VISAs for his team. Yesterday, Savara of SautiSol also put out a statement citing VISA delays.
Recently, the festival has been marred with bad publicity since last year when Nonini pulled out. He claimed they paid him peanuts and dragged the organizers for poor communication.
We are yet to see the new dates and plans for the festival which attracted sponsorship from brands like Royal Media, Kenya Airways, OneVibe, Sol Generation, and HOT 96.
The festival has been a hit for many Kenyans abroad who use the platform to intermingle and network with other Kenyans and is a disappointment for many.
