9ice Shines At Zain’s Mandela 90th Birthday Concert

By Tope Olukole

9iceThe Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Concert sponsored by Zain Group was a great moment for Nigerian music, when Nigeria’s latest sensation, 9ice, took the stage right after Amy Winehouse, to thrill the over 40,000 capacity audience at Hyde Park.

9ice got the largely European audience rocking with his hit tune "Gongo Aso". He later expressed huge appreciation to Celtel Nigeria, his sponsors to the Concert, for giving him the opportunity to play on such a big stage, with great stars and a massive audience.

The show was kicked off at 6:15 p.m. with a special appearance by Will Smith and wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, followed by a constellation of music stars including Eddy Grant, Amy Winehouse, Sugarbabes, Suzanna Owiyo, Sipho Mabuze, Johnny Clegg, The Children of Agape Choir, Loyiso, Leona Lewis, and Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier turned Reggae musician. The wonderful Soweto Gospel Choir provided back-up for most of the artistes, including 9ice.

The highpoint of the star-studded evening was the appearance of the celebrant, Dr. Nelson Mandela, accompanied by his wife, Graca. Mandela delivered an emotional message, in which he urged the world to unite against suffering and diseases, especially HIV/AIDS. He expressed appreciation to the audience for turning up in support of his 46664 Foundation.

Zain Group, the leading mobile telecommunications company in the Middle East and Africa, was the proud sponsor of the international musical celebration honouring Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday and raising funds for his charitable work.

In keeping with its drive to promote African arts and culture, Zain, through its African subsidiary, Celtel, funded several of Africa’s most famous artistes who performed at the night’s prestigious event.