The Great Angels Choir’s security fears to stage an indoor activity at venues such as Robin’s Park proved wise on Sunday when the launch of their Mwasankha Ine DVD attracted a huge crowd at BAT Ground in Blantyre.
People had to queue and jostle to enter the gates.
The over-population of vehicles parked outside the football ground was another testimony to the group’s crowd-pulling prowess.
With this in mind, the organising committee of the event was quick to point out that the choir is reconsidering using indoor venues for their launches, indicating that they are still eyeing Kamuzu Stadium as a possible venue.
The Great Angels Choir chairperson Benson Manda explained: “We consider security, safety and comfort of our fans because past experience has shown that some of the indoor venues in the country are too small for The Great Angels Choir album launches. For your own information, no indoor venue in Blantyre could have accommodated the many people that turned up for the DVD launch at BAT Ground. Hence, we are still eyeing Kamuzu Stadium to give our fans the best.”
Manda estimated the audience that patronised the BAT launch at 4 000, a figure which would have posed a serious threat if staged indoor.
In March, The Great Angels Choir’s CD launch raised a security alarm at Robin’s Park when it was packed beyond capacity. The heat inside the hall overpowered the facility’s air conditioning system.
Initially, The Great Angels Choir wanted to launch their DVD at Kamuzu Stadium on the premise that it would host South African gospel musician Lundi as a guest artist.
However, this did not materialise as the venue was booked. The choir also failed to strike a deal with Lundi as they could not agreatgree on fees, according to Ephraim Zonda, director of the choir.
The elegant stage plus equipment was too good for a line-up of musicians to perform poorly, too. Hence the likes of Merrium Queen Fire, Limbani Simenti, Donnex Muva and Billy Kaunda wowed the audience before the main actor Great Angels Choir performed. n
