By Abu B. Shaw, Vanguard London Bureau Chief
The 45th Sierra Leone Independence anniversary celebration in London graced
by Borbor Belleh (photo), the country’s most radical musician today, was marred by a
catalogue of protests by angry Sierra Leoneans who had come to enjoy this
historic day. Police had to intervene to curb the ugly situation.
But individual performances from Borbor Belleh (real name Emmerson Bockarie),
Vida, Bunny Mack and Maseo went a long way to illuminate the gloomy night at
the Brixton Recreation Centre in south London. Many Sierra Leoneans were
disallowed entry in to the ballroom despite having tickets in their
possession.
Hundreds of ticket holders affected by this action put the blame squarely on
the door steps of the show organisers. They accused them of poor management
and greed. As early as 11 pm on Saturday night April 29 the security guards
were ordered to lock the main gates leaving hundreds of angry ticket holders
queuing outside the massive recreation building. The queue was so long and
noisy that it drew the attention of the London Metropolitan Police.
Brixton, inhabited mostly by black people, is an area in London that is
notorious for crime and riotous conduct. The police are always busy monitoring Brixton for drug and
gun offences which are on the rise . It was not surprising
when the police stormed the recreation hall that night.
About eight Police Officers arrived to investigate what was amiss. The
queuing Sierra Leoneans told the police they have been let down by the show
organisers and even their legitimate tickets could not give them access. The
organisers, on their part, told the police that the hall could not take any
more people as it was already full. This statement infuriated those already
inside the building as well as those queuing outside.
Notwithstanding, the police officers were less interested in the ineptitude
of the organisers for selling more tickets than necessary. All they were
interested in was the implementation of the Health and Safety regulation as
prescribed by law to safe guard life and property in public places. The
police immediately ordered the noisy crowd outside to disperse. The angry crowd reluctantly did so.
The commotion did not dissipate inside the hall. Angry Miss Mariama Sannoh
told the Patriotic Vanguard about her husband’s plight. “This is my hubby’s
ticket. The security guards could neither allow me to go outside to meet my
husband nor allow him to come in. I can’t understand this madness. They have
spoiled our night,” she said in tears. The tickets were sold for £10 per
head. Buyers who purchased their tickets at the gate got them for £15 each.
Each patron was charged £50 per person.
Mohamed Barrie was another victim who had vowed to pursue the organisers
until his money is refunded. He could not rule out the possibility of
claiming damages. Other aggrieved Sierra Leoneans who were affected are
planning to take further action. “It’s ironical that such corrupt practices
are unfolding right under the feet of Borbor Belleh who is noted for his
anti-corruption lyrics,” Mr Barrie, a law student stressed.
The organisers of the Independence Bonanza Messrs Abass and Molash in
conjunction with SLAU promoters were visibly embarrassed when the Patriotic
Vanguard confronted them to give their own side of the story. Mr Abass
speaking on their behalf expressed surprise over the ugly situation and said
the tickets sold out to the public were commensurate with the number the
hall should accommodate.
“We do not know how the surplus tickets came
about,” he explained.
Earlier on minor protests took place inside the hall. That was around 10 pm.
The lack of sufficient chairs for those with £10 and £15 tickets was
responsible for the clash. Frustrated party goers were seen scrambling into
the partition designated for patrons and vacant chairs meant for the patrons
were taken away. But the timely intervention of party organisers halted the
chair commotion.
Observers were wondering why such a trivial issue like this
could happen in London. An annoyed Sierra Leonean observer summed it up in a
popular adage: “Monkey nor day lef em black hand,” meaning that some Sierra
Leoneans would always portray negative attitudes, no matter where they live.
Another low point in the anniversary celebration was the the disastrous rendition of the national anthem of Sierra Leone. The country’s national anthem was on
schedule to open the show but a lady who was appointed by the organisers to
lead the singing on stage failed to sing the national anthem properly.
The crowd could not hide their disgust as loud howls of anger followed her rendition. Many people condemned the
organisers for selecting her.
More on the Borbor Belleh show later.
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