Performances save Omarion show

The Omarion concert caused a lot of commotion on social media in Namibia and abroad, with many people unhappy about how it was set up. Despite the blunders from local and international organisers, the local and American artists put on the best show they could which can be described as a situation.

What was supposed to be one of the biggest concerts in Namibia missed this opportunity.

Though many are blaming the marketing team for not aggressively going out, others are attributing the low turnout to the many events that where happening on the same night. The whole uproar started the night Omarion and his team arrived in Namibia when people noticed that he was not collected in private transport.

There was media meet and greet the following day which the singer couldn't attend due to the fact that he was preparing for the concert. People expressed their disappointment and saw it as a disregard from the artist. The event organiser Loneson Mondo says he got little cooperation from Omarion's team for his arrival in the country.

“Omarion's management opted for the paid-for transport because of safety reasons and we provided just that for them.

His management did not believe that his absence at the press conference would have such a huge impact on the number of attendees for the show,” said Mondo.

As if that was it, a rumour started circulating on social media and at the venue that the RnB artist had shared to his social media platforms that he will not be performing anymore.

This caused several people not to show up. To make matters worse, the billboard in town was torn in the middle.

“Not everyone can be happy with what you are doing or what you want to accomplish no matter how noble the cause. Some will keep their negative feelings to themselves, while others while lash out in the best way they can,” said Mondo.

The show however went on with only a couple of hundred in attendance as opposed to the thousands anticipated.

The local acts including gospel songbird Maranatha, Swart Baster, Paul Da Prince, TKB, Tate Butti and headliner Freeda gave it their all. Tate Butti sang his hit song Ek Wari Fokol and dedicated it to everyone who believed he wasn't worthy to perform on the same stage with Omarion.

Omarion hit the stage and mesmerised the crowd with mad dance moves and beloved throwback and current songs.

“There are not a lot of artists who take the risk of coming down and really being personal with their fans in such a faraway land.

I just want you guys to understand that I respect the culture and I love the love I am getting and I appreciate it all,” he said.

The concert which cost millions of dollars to put together was meant to raise funds for the Nursing Excellency Awards to take place next year. Mondo says this is just the beginning as they will still bring in more international acts starting early next year. ”We are passionate about music and we want Namibia to have access to A-listers from America. We will use our diverse network and contacts in Hollywood to make it a point that we 'shrink' the distance between Namibia and USA,” he said. Industry experts say the concert would have been a success had the organisers included more people who are experienced in organising events to help instead of working on a small scale.



June Shimuoshili