The botched King Sunny Ade’s (KSA) American tour billed for Saturday, June 18, at the Annette Strauss Square, AT&T Dallas Stadium, USA was actually cancelled, just as fans are getting tickets refund. A ticket for the show was pegged at $25. In a bid to salvage the situation and assuage his numerous fans in America, the King of World Beats had embarked on a face-saving courtesy visit to the US Embassy in Lagos.
However, our search revealed that KSA’s abortive trip was due to the untidy arrangement that resulted in delays on visa procurement that led to subsequent cancelation.
The band members allegedly did not make their international traveling passports available early against KSA’s repeated warnings. According to an e-mail to New Telegraph by a North America based CNN iReporter, George Elijah Otumu, “KSA’s African Beats band members unfortunately exposed themselves to ridicule as Nig e r ians and African- American communities are so disappointed, demanding for ticket refund.
“According to many of them, they had made arrangements to ensure that particular day fall on their off-days at work, while others flew into Dallas from other states in America to watch KSA sing, play his guitar and dance on stage. “For Tope Makinde, an undergraduate of the University of Texas who had made up his mind to be at the show, he said: “This is the bad attitude some Nigerians display in foreign engagements.
They are hardly prepared for anything, wants a fire-brigade approach. Even though I can understand that this kind of problem is already becoming our cultural attitude back home, how do you want an average American or African-American who had never ever visited Nigeria to feel about the i m – age of Nigeria and Nigerians having had to witness this avoidable disappointment?” Otumu, who doubles as the publisher of Nigeria Standard newspaper, an online journal, further revealed that, “Ticket purchasers are asking for refunds, as patrons with questions are requested to call AT&T Performing Arts Center Box at +1- 214-880-0202”.
Otumu stated that, “This Nigerian music-legend, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist disappointed his United States fans when words reached his musiclovers in Dallas, Texas less than 48 hours to his live performance at Annette Strauss Square of AT &T Performing Arts Center earlier slated for June 18 that KSA and his African Beats would no longer be able to honor their show.”
He further explained that, “Everyone with passion for African music in Dallas were surprised, wondering what could have kept the Nigerian music icon away from the much-publicized show? Investigation by CNN iReport revealed that the African Beats band members did not yield their international traveling passports over to the juju maestro early against his repeated warnings to them.’
“That led to the disappointment, since the United States Embassy do not compromise its policies and bureaucracies in issuance of visa to people. By the time the visa procurement finally began at the US Embassy, it was crystal clear to them that they would miss the show.
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