THERE is excitement in the air as the people of Ashaiman brace themselves for another edition of Reggae/Dance-hall artiste, Stonebwoy’s ‘Ashaiman to the World’ concert on Saturday, October 27 at the Saka Saka Park.
The annual show, which is free, is held in Ashaiman as a way for Stonebwoy to show his appreciation to the people of the suburb where he grew up. It is also his way to express his gratitude to his BHiM Natives, as his fan base is known, for their massive support.
The Saka Saka Park, where the concert will be held is in the heart of the Ashaiman Municipality. It is located near the Ashaiman -Tema overhead and is very close to the Ashaiman Toll Plaza on the Accra -Tema Motorway.
On a normal day, the park and its surrounding areas is swallowed by filth, with some residents around the area turning portions of the Park into a dump site.
A scrap yard is close to the Park and occasionally, scrap dealers resort to burning car tyres to get the metal linings but on the night, it will be transformed into a fitting concert venue.
Although people are excited when Stonebwoy and his other musician friends storm the town, this year, security is of major concern because of some incidents that occurred at last year’s concert which even overshadowed the success of the show.
An alleged knife attack left Stonebwoy’s wife, Dr Louisa Satekla injured. According to reports, a tent, which served as a waiting area for performing artistes and VIP guests was ripped in the knife attack. The unknown assailants ended up stabbing Louisa’s back and she was reportedly rushed to a hospital.
Stonebwoy later took to Facebook posting: “Knife cuts Tru My Tent Missed Me As Target And Cuts wifey on her back side! Minute Before I Hit Stage! But #IstillDeliveredForMyPeople and Rushed To The hospital right after I Got Off Stage… ”.
The Ashaiman police at the time indicated they were yet to receive a formal complaint from the musician.
Though many industry watchers believed the story of the attack was made up to hype the show, the Top Skanka singer denied making up the story.
It is in light of these incidents that security must be of prime concern at the upcoming concert. Ashaiman is densely populated and concerts of this magnitude attract people from all walks of life, it is at such shows that criminals like to operate.
The freedom people have to move anywhere also puts performing artistes at risk as evidenced by last year’s show when some artistes were pelted with stones and it is therefore important that organizers put in place the right security measures to give patrons a show devoid of incidents.
Head of Communications at Zylofon Media, Arnold Asamoah-Baidoo, told Showbiz that they stepping up the security detail for this year’s show.
“Security is essential especially when it comes to outdoor music concerts and against the backdrop of what transpired last year, we are putting measures in place to step up the security detail for the concert.
“As usual, we have the Police Service coming in to assist in ensuring that there’s adequate safety and security. We have also engaged a private security firm to assist,” he said.
Mr Asamoah-Baidoo also cleared the air about Stonebwoy’s wife’s stabbing noting that it was miscommunication. He added that an overzealous fan might have ripped the tent.
Artistes billed to perform at ‘Ashaiman to the World’ include Edem, Sarkodie among others.
