Burning Spear Says His Kenyan Concert In October Back On The Agenda: “I Man Will Be There”
Reggae icon Burning Spear has reassured his Kenyan fans that he will indeed perform in Nairobi on October 12, as part of his One People Africa tour.
This confirmation comes more than two weeks after he initially announced the possibility of canceling or postponing the concert scheduled for the Kenyan capital.
The upcoming tour will also include performances in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Burning Spear is set to grace the stage at the Glamis Arena in Harare, Zimbabwe, on October 18. Following this, he will perform at the Emperors Palace (The Park) in Johannesburg on October 19 and at the Mhundi Wines Farm in Cape Town on October 20.
In a recent video shared on his Facebook page, the Marcus Garvey artist is seen singing and promising that all was well while assuring Kenyan fans that they would see him very soon.
“Prasie Halelujah,” he sang, then added: “Kenya October 12, I man wil be there. Nuh worry yuhself. … weh Kenya deh worry bout? October 12 man.”
The video, posted two days ago, brought relief to many fans who were anxious about the uncertainty surrounding his Nairobi concert.
“Greetings African teacher…kenya we are happy ! Karibu Kenya, ” Shi Vah replied, while Bonnie Wangara added: ”We can’t wait for you to Step foot in Nairobi Kenya”.
“Can’t wait to see you perform live on stage welcome again grand pa we love you ” James Mbesa said.
In late June, the African Teacher singer had taken to Facebook to address his 1.7 million followers. While expressing support for his Kenyan “brothers and sisters”, he had voiced concerns about traveling to the East African nation, which protests against President William Ruto had gripped since the start of June.
However, his Kenyan fans, who were anticipating the St. Ann native’s first performance in the country in 17 years, were displeased with his statements. Many argued that the protests were temporary and issues would be resolved long before his October concert, making any drastic decisions unnecessary. Some emphasized the importance of his presence in uplifting and soothing people through his music during such a critical time. Others highlighted that Kenya was already returning to normalcy and assured the 79-year-old that the issues were with the government, not the citizens.
Nevertheless, several fans rebuked Spear, labeling him inconsiderate while accusing him of perpetuating negative stereotypes about Africa’s safety. Some also reminded him of his last performance in Kenya in 2007, a free concert in Nairobi on June 3, which attracted over 80,000 attendees, some of whom traveled more than 200 kilometers to see him.
Burning Spear, who took his name from a military award given by Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of independent Kenya, came out of retirement from live shows in 2022, returning to the stage after a decade-old absence.
The singer began his recording career in 1969, penning songs about Marcus Garvey and the repatriation, and the oppression of the black race.
The six-time Grammy nominee has released more than 25 albums throughout his music career, copping the Grammy Award twice for Best Reggae Album for his 2000 release Calling Rastafari and again in 2009 for Jah Is Real.
He was also awarded the Order of Distinction by the Government of Jamaica in 2007 for his contribution to the music industry.
Burning Spear achieved breakthrough success with his album, Marcus Garvey, which was released by Island Records. His other albums include Dry and Heavy (1977) and Social Living (1978). He has also had several live albums due mainly to his extensive touring over the decades.