VIP attendee's account of how and why Afro Nation concert ended abruptly

The Afro Nation concert in Accra ended abruptly in the early hours of Saturday, December 31, after organizers cited circumstances beyond their control for the turn of events.

The massively attended concert was in its final day after a buzzing Day One that saw a dozen local and international artistes performing to the teeming crowd.

Day Two started with a similar buzz and expectation until minutes past midnight when performances were halted amid reports that there were some crowd control issues at the main entrance.

A VIP attendee at the event who was also escorted out of the premises gave GhanaWeb an exclusive account of what happened before and immediately after the show was called off.

"The emcees announced there was commotion at the back/entrance so people should stay calm and "stop pushing".

"Later, they announced that Asake and others were ready to perform but due to the chaotic scene, they cannot compromise on the security of the audience hence, the decision to end the show."

According to our source, the end was announced "at the latter part of Dadju's performance. He was left with a song to go but had to end abruptly because they had to kill the sound.

"We (those at the VIP yard) had to use the emergency exit. I can't tell how the regulars got out; that's if they did get out.

"At the emergency exit, plenty cars were parked there including one ambulance that had partially blocked the narrow path. Part of the ground was wet/muddy," he added.

He also disclosed that between the time the announcement of the chaotic scene was made and the time they ended the show was about fifteen minutes.

"Reports say some persons who didn't have tickets wanted to force their way through; gunshots were reportedly fired. I didn't hear gunshots though," he added.

Organizers explain official reason for ending the show

Two of the organizers, in a video clip available to GhanaWeb, later mounted the stage to explain that for security and safety reasons the show needed to end abruptly.

"It was clear that the place was filled out but we had a lot of selfish people who decided to turn up at the door… for whatever reason they wanted to rush the door.

"At this point, it’s gotten too much for security and the police that we’ve got back there. As I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t matter what is going on there. If any of you leave this place in a body bag, that would be on us," one of the organizers mounted the stage to announce.

"And that is one thing we don’t want to happen. At this point, I want you to understand that the reason why we're ending this show is for your own safety… right now, it's crazy outside and we want to make sure you guys leave in the safest way possible," he continued.

On social media, people are angry at the turn of events, blaming the organizers for giving them a raw deal by truncating their experience because of 'outsiders.'

Organisers finally return with a reason. Security issues... Show officially ended #AfronationGhana2022 #Afronation #Afronation2022 #AfroNationGhana pic.twitter.com/h1zOHFd1zc

— Ghana Weekend (@GhanaWeekend) December 31, 2022