How many of these countries have venues and how many Africans can afford a concert? How about security issues? Many states are unstable...

WOW!!! Prince in Egypt! An outdoor concert in the dessert with the pyramids as a backdrop. I would travel half way around the world for that concert! plus there is a great hotel right near the pyramids.

How many of these countries have venues and how many Africans can afford a concert? How about security issues? Many states are unstable...

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Come on now, every capital city in every country in Africa would have a venue suitable for concerts while not every area there is a warzone. Prince is a millionaire if he wants to put on concerts for Africans he can do, $s shouldn't be an issue...

MD7 said:

$$ not an issue? Maybe you need to reconsider that...

The same reason hes never played here in New Zealand...Fan base.

Abrazo said:

$$ is as big an issue as a millionaire wants it to be, if Prince wants to play concerts in Africa he can.

MD7 said:

Of course he can, but does he want to?

Abrazo said:

No, so why does he not [i]want[i] to play the one and only continent he's thus far ignored, particularly as an African-American male?

MD7 said:

I'm wondering that as well and the only possible answer I can come up with is $$.

First, Africa has one of the most thriving cross-cultural musical audiences in the world. Every African I've ever met is at least as well versed in American popular music as me... and most can blow me out of the water with their knowledge of indigenous music and multilingual imports from places other than the U.S. I heard that at their prime, for example, Milli Vanilli were among the top-selling offshore artists in the whole of the African continent. If that's true, certainly more longstanding celebrities like Prince have a supportive fanbase.

In Saharan Africa, where travel to and from European ports would be cheapest, politics probably play a big part. I'm no expert, but my guess is certain conservatively religious local governments would scoff at performances from more provocative Western performers like Prince. Also I'd guess there are certain economic and political restrictions to shipping large amounts of material goods (equipment, etc.) in and out of some of these countries. With a nation like Libya, it may be altogether illegal.

In sub-Saharan Africa, I can only think that finances are even more a primary obstacle to touring. Some of the more industrialized African locales would have sporting and convention venues to support small to medium-sized live shows, and the more welltodo citizens could definitely afford them. But there is considerable economic disparity and concentration of disposible wealth in industrialized Africa, and I wonder if the sheer lack of numbers hints at low ticket returns.

On top of that, touring is a very expensive undertaking for an artist or record company. From an efficiency standpoint, it would be such an expense to ship literally tons of gear to Africa (Just compare a commercial fare to Accra, Ghana, with a fare to -- say -- Paris. Cargo rates are cheaper, but still comparatively more pricy.) and then have to fly that stuff from one African country to another. Road transport would be less an option than in the U.S. or Europe due to the massive size of the continent, inconsistent international road conditions and the scattered geography of cities with venues that could support a sizable show.

Also consider health and insurance expenses. A tour requires sometimes hundreds of people, and the fact of the matter is certain companies are no doubt uneasy about absorbing costs related to safety, security and healthcare in certain regions of the world for all of them.

The price of tickets would need to be astronomical to recoup these expenses. I think we'll continue to only see smaller concerts in South Africa, which enjoys pretty active travel and shipping arrangements with Europe.
[This message was edited Wed Dec 17 8:23:02 PST 2003 by Lammastide]

As far as Prince being rich -- true. But he ain't Bill Gates, Oprah or Puffy.

He'd never have the personal money to cover an African tour, and if he tried, he and Mani would be reduced to renting a 2-room apartment in Toronto upon their return. And I doubt too many financial backers would be interested in an extensive tour.

Maybe a couple small-club shows here and there. But that's certainly it.

Lammastide said:

Good post but are all these factors unique to Africa? Remember he has played EVERY other continent, including Latin America and most of these same issues surely apply.

MD7 said:

I don't know for sure, but I'd guess Prince has played Brazil and maybe Argentina or Venezuela. If this is true, these countries enjoy a more fluid economy than any African nation I can think of aside from South Africa and certainly they have better infrastructures, less political turmoil and better healthcare, etc. Plus travel and shipping to these areas would be cheaper from the U.S.

I'm certainly not makinf excuses for Prince. I'd LOVE to see him play Africa -- it would do wonders for a sort of

cultural morale. But I just think money is a far bigger issue than we know.

He could play the whole northern part of africa and make money without getting ill or anything !! Best thing to do in a case like that is to make it a mideteranian tour. Starting in Spain ending in Marocco. I wonder how moslims would react to TRC That might be a problem

Blueview said:

Exactly! That's what I was saying about Saharan Africa. It'd be more affordable, but politically it'd never happen. Through the 80s and 90s, they'd have had a problem with the sexual content. Now they'd have a problem with the heavy Christian dogma.

Lammastide said:

There's a heavy christian presence in every region though, hell I bet he could even tour JW Kingdom Halls. In answer to your above question yes he's played plenty of benefit/free shows in his time.

Blueview said:

Exactly! That's what I was saying about Saharan Africa. It'd be more affordable, but politically it'd never happen. Through the 80s and 90s, they'd have had a problem with the sexual content. Now they'd have a problem with the heavy Christian dogma.

Lammastide said:

It would be interesting though !! He's one of the few artist capable of making a tour like that turn out well !
He can easily adjust his songs to moslim standarts, in fact he might even find it a chalenge. It would gennerate a lot of publicity for sure. Imagine first him playing Israel then next he's playing Syria with different sets for each country !