Music stars plan concert for Mandela

As the world prepares to bid the departed Nelson Mandela farewell on Sunday, some Nigerian music artistes have concluded plans, in partnership with  EbonyLife TV and other entertainment outfits in the country, to host a rare concert  in celebration of the extraordinary life and times of the icon and former President of South Africa.

Titled The Legacy Lives, the concert will feature performances by notable singers, such as Dbanj, Tuface, Darey, Omawumi, J.Martins and Tiwa Savage. The list also includes Burna Boy, Ikechukwu, Eldee the Don, Timi Dakolo, Waje, Julius Agwu, Mike Aremu, and Rocksteady, among others.

The organisers of the event indicate, in a statement released on Thursday and made available to our correspondent, that the concert will take place in Lagos on Wednesday, December 18, 2013, at the Oceanview Restaurant, Victoria Island.

With the calibre of artistes lined up to perform, the event, no doubt, promises to be one that befits a celebrity of Mandela’s stature.

But beyond providing quality entertainment for thousands of music fans expected to grace the occasion, the concert is aimed at celebrating the priceless contributions of one of the greatest statesmen that ever lived on earth.

Commenting on the event, the Chairman of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu, says, “Nelson Mandela lives on as a beacon of hope and a true icon of inspiration; a man of extraordinary vision who has left such a great legacy of humanity that Africans and the rest of the world must strive to aspire to. So we are indeed very proud to put this together.

“It is a free concert for the expensive price of liberty paid for by the selfless Madiba. We made a call to the industry and we got really tremendous response. For all our music stars and partners, we cannot thank you all enough for your sacrifice, kindness and generosity, which typify the spirit of ‘Ubuntu’, which is the  South African word for humanity.”

To make the concert a worthy tribute to the icon, Ebonylife TV will partner with Beat FM, Eko Hotel, Maverick Equinox, Bella Naija, Red Media Africa, 360 Nobs, Linda Ikeji and Noel Productions, while it will be supported by African Events, GQ Acoustics, No Surprises Events, Pisces Power, Edi Lawani, Prive, South African Airlines, Discovery Brands Management, Damell Photography and K-Square.

Also, the Chief Executive Officer of No Surprises Events, Funmi Victor-Okigbo, gave assurance that the concert will be one to be remembered in a long while.

“We’ll ensure that the event is orchestrated and executed to perfection according to world-class standards,” Victor-Okigbo said.