‘LIVE AND DIE IN AFRICA TOUR COST SH100 MILLION’ CHIMANO ON CONCERT DEBT

Willis Austin Chimano, a member of the award-winning band Sauti Sol, has revealed the scale and impact of their groundbreaking Live and Die in Africa tour, which cost an estimated Sh100 million to produce. 

Speaking in an interview, Chimano said, “The production element of Live and Die in Africa was a big deal. It was the first time something like that had been done by one entity, which was quite a huge undertaking. We had to build a particular stage in every region we went to. It cost about Sh100 million. The concert was sponsored by Chrome and others. Even after the tour, we still had debts to pay running into millions.” 

The tour had eight shows across Kenya but there were logistical problems requiring the transportation of custom-built stages and employing a crew of over 100 people. With infrastructure in many regions inadequate for the band’s high production standards, the tour relied on multiple trucks on the road.

“We had two or three tracks on the road going to build the stage and we employed about 100 crew. The tour made money but there were cost implications. What we loved about it, it showed it can be done. It showed how the creative industry just by those eight shows can create an economy for a multitude of people. We also saw figures that we thought we could never see in our books.” 

Chimano shared a nostalgic memory of their humble beginnings. “Our first paycheck as Sauti Sol was Sh20,000, then 20k was not so bad. We divided among four people. We went and had a burger, we were like this is the reward of the job.”