Organisers of the inaugural NjuchiFest, which was set to take place on top of Soche Hill, have postponed the event due to what they say are unforeseen natural reasons.
Rising dancehall musician Eli Njuchi, who is the brains behind the festival, says they shelved the festival after a series of ‘stressful’ visits to the venue.
The festival was supposed to take place on October 31.
“We chose the October 31 date thinking is best for us in terms of weather. We were assured that according to the weather forecast, it won’t rain, but we have discovered that the heat is one thing we did not consider,” said Njuchi in a post on Twitter.
He said having visited the Soche Hill top four times, they have discovered that the heat is rising and may get worse by October 31.
“What makes it worse is that the top is bare, no trees for fresh air, just rocks which emit a lot of heat,” said the artist.
He, therefore, said after careful consideration, they have decided to shelve the festival until next year at an appropriate time.
“After consultations with my team, Red Cross and other health advisors, we thought it wise to put the festival on hold until next year when the heat is not a concern. We apologise for the inconvenience to everyone. People that had already bought tickets have been contacted and refunded,” said Eli.
Initially, he was set to hold the event with 80 fans. The NjuchiFest was scheduled to start with a hike with the artists and his Hive Band.
Apart from the artist performing, fans were to be treated to a luncheon with a side dish from Chef Ipyana’s Goat soup with the award-winning DJ, Joy Nathu, on the turntables for two hours.
In a separate interview, the artist’s manager, Prince Chikweba, said they have made sure to reimburse everyone who bought a ticket for the festival.
“We regret that we had to cancel it, but we believe the hospitality of the guests is important than our pride to carry on and do the event.
The NjuchiFest has been postponed to next year between May and June,” said Chikweba.
“For now, Eli is launching his debut album The Book of Eli on
December 13 at Robin’s Park in Blantyre. All the people that bought tickets to the NjuchiFest will have a free entry,” said Chikweba. Eli Njuchi rose to fame after the release of his hit single Illuminati. He went on to release an EP The Book of Z, that cemented his name as one of the promising dancehall artists in Malawi.
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