Luciano undetered by stoning incident

REGGAE artist Luciano has confirmed that there was a bottle-throwing incident during his performance at a concert in Port Harcourt in Nigeria. He, however, is emphasising that it was "out of the ordinary" and does not reflect the usual reception he receives in Africa.

Luciano, aka the Messenjah, has been unwavering in his support of Africa and all things African. He has consistently done conscious lyrics and has a huge fan base in certain parts of Africa, a continent he has toured many times.

"A lot of people may not know that I have a house in Gambia and the people there accept me as one of their own. I have travelled to Ghana, where thousands come to meet me and attend by concerts. Up until now, my Africa experience has been among my greatest," Luciano said.

Reports out of Port Harcourt stated that "Jamaican reggae icon Luciano was on Saturday night (December 17) pelted with empty water bottles by some youths that attended the closing of the 2011 Rivers State Carnival popularly known as CARNIRIV at the Liberation Stadium."

The article labelled the youths' behaviour as "hostile".

There were suggestions that the organisers should have known better than to put Luciano so far down on the programme, especially since there were many big name African acts on the line-up.

According to Luciano, a person threw a bottle and then a woman followed by throwing her phone to show their displeasure.

"We know how that kind of behaviour is catching. However, when I started to talk to them, they calmed down a bit. I sang One Way Ticket and they became receptive."

He pointed out that he felt that not enough thought was put into the running order by the organisers.

Asked if this experience has given him a negative feelings towards Africa, Luciano was quick to respond: "Of course not."

He added: "I believe that everything happens for a purpose and out of evil cometh good. Perhaps, this will be a musical re-awakening for the people in Port Harcourt and will usher in an era of greater appreciation of foundation, roots reggae. I certainly don't take it personal, in addition, the wonderful experiences I have of performing in Africa will overshadow this every time."