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The much-anticipated Furaha City Festival, held at the Nairobi Polo Club over the weekend, ended in controversy when Tanzanian superstar Diamond Platnumz failed to perform.
Despite an impressive line-up of Kenyan artists including Femi One, Mejja, Willy Paul, and Khaligraph Jones, the event was marred by backstage drama and crowd unrest.
Diamond's manager, Jorge Mendez, popularly known as Sallam SK, said Diamond's decision not to perform was due to security concerns.
Speaking to
Nairobi News, Sallam SK said Diamond waited backstage for three hours ready to perform but the chaos at the event led to the cancellation.
He cited previous experiences where Diamond lost valuable items to fans during riots as a key reason for the heightened caution.
"The organizers couldn't handle the call times of other artists, which led to fights backstage. For security reasons, it was no longer safe for Diamond to go on stage," explained Sallam SK.
Attendees expressed their frustration by chanting "Willy Paul!" when Diamond's performance was delayed.
Tensions between Diamond's management and event organizers were blamed for the disruption.
Despite the no-show, Sallam SK confirmed that Diamond had already been paid in full and was awaiting further communication from the organizers regarding the way forward.
"Diamond has been paid in full. He will give his side of the story in due course, but for now we are on our way to Paris".
The event organizer also addressed the issue in a statement posted to his official X account.
He acknowledged the challenges and criticized Diamond's team for their overbearing demands.
"We deeply regret that Diamond Platnumz did not perform. Despite our efforts to accommodate him and his team, their behavior and demands were unfortunate," read part of the statement.
While responding to Eric Omondi's post about foreign artists disrespecting Kenyans, Diamond said success does not come from holding grudges against others, but from one's effort.
"You are one of the best examples. You have come to Tanzania over 10 times to headline shows and you have always been warmly received. You never heard stand-up comedians being hostile towards you or complaining about being 'oppressed', nor were there campaigns like 'We want 75%, Tanzanian comedians'.Instead, they assessed themselves, figured out what they needed to do to succeed, and put in the effort. Platforms like Cheka Tu, Watu Baki, and others were created, and many stand-up comedians have emerged and are now benefiting from their work.
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