Canada gig postponed after Knowless visa hitches

Afronation Caribana concert, an annual event which takes place in Canada, has been postponed to September after invited musicians failed to make it in time for the show.

Wednesday, August 06, 2014
Knowless. (Courtesy)

Afronation Caribana concert, an annual event which takes place in Canada, has been postponed to September after invited musicians failed to make it in time for the show.

The event, organised by East African Diaspora in Canada, was initially scheduled for July 23 through August 2.

Invited musicians included Rwanda’s sensation Knowless and Dr Claude, Ugandan songbird Juliana Kanyomozi, and Diamond from Tanzania.

Clement Ishimwe, Knowless’s manager, said she was unable to travel on time because Canadian high commissioner delayed in processing her travel documents. "We had complications in obtaining the visa for Knowless but it is being worked on now and, hopefully, we will get it in time for the event in September.”

Dr Claude was also unable to get travel documents on time while Juliana is still mourning her son who passed on recently, with Diamond said to be on another tour.

Oganisers say they hope all the four artistes will be available for the show since it has been postponed to a later date.

Clement said that the changes in the schedule came at a price. "We lost three offers where Knowless was to perform because she was preparing for the Afronation Caribana event,” he explained.

 The concert will take place in Toronto and Montreal cities.