Oge Kimono, the first child of the late Nigerian reggae toaster and iconic musician, the Rub-a-Dub Master, Ras Kimono has disclaimed the advertised RAS KIMONO DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION said to be lunched in Asaba Delta State on Saturday, June 15, 2019.
Oge Kimono who is a reggae toaster in her own right and crown princess of the Kimono legacy has said “I know that many people love my late father and are willing to celebrate him in different ways. We are most grateful for their show of love and affection. A foundation in the name of my father is a serious project that needs proper consultation with all my siblings and key people connected with the Kimono legacy. It should never be a project for a quick buck. For the avoidance of doubt, I will not be in Asaba for the purported lunch of the so called foundation which does not have my endorsement.
Oge Kimono earlier in the week pulled every string to ensure that June 10, the day that Kimono passed on was massively celebrated in Nigeria as Ras Kimono Memorial Day.
Monday, June 10, 2019 probably will never be forgotten at COSON House in Ikeja, the magnificent headquarters of Nigeria’s most successful organization in the creative arts, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON). At exactly 12.30 pm, everything froze in the edifice and everyone stood still in silence. It was exactly at 12.30 pm on June 10, 2018 that the much beloved Nigerian reggae toaster and iconic musician passed on.
The celebration on Monday, June 10 was in two phases. The first phase was the ”Ras Kimono Memorial Lecture” which held in the morning at the Magnificent COSON House in Ikeja and chaired by the nation’s doyen of labour and intellectual Property law, the 83 year, old first chairman of the NCC, Prof Egerton Uvieghara. Delivering the main lecture titled ‘Revolutionary Music for Equality & Justice’ was Nigeria’s undisputed authority on Creative arts and a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Prof Duro Oni who until recently was Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Lagos. Some of the highlights at the Memorial Lecture was the presentation on the COSON House mega screen of “Good-Bye Ras Kimono”, an updated version of the much talked about multi-dimensional documentary on the life and times of Ras Kimono scripted and produced by the master himself, Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman of COSON and a dear friend of the late Ras Kimono. At the event, a new era of the Kimono legacy was begun with the launch of the 1st ever album of Oge Kimono titled, “Good Ole Days”. Master of Ceremonies was the irrepressible Kofi Da Guru.
The second phase of the Ras Kimono Memorial Day kicked off in the evening of June 10 with a blistering concert at the famous Niteshift Colieseum, Ikeja. Lighting up the ”Ras Kimono Memorial Jam” was the Nigeria’s who is who in reggae music. From Oritz Wiliki to Righteous Man to Buchi to Dede Mabiaku to Wadada to Oge and many more, backed by Kimono’s legendry Massive Dread band, rich reggae music was on show like never before anywhere in Nigeria. The celebrated reggae sound man, Covenant Child emceed the grand event that had everyone at the Coliseum skanking the night away.
For: S2DB ENTERTAINMENT
Signed
Olusegun Olorunnipa
