US$500 up for grabs

Jamaican dancehall star lost his mobile phone during his high-octane performance at Glamis Arena last Friday.
“I dropped my phone on stage. Anyone, who has seen it can come over and surrender it to me,” he pleaded minutes before he left the stage just after midnight.
Despite his plea, the “Energy God”, as he is popularly known in dancehall circles, had to rush to the airport empty-handed to catch an early flight to Tanzania where he headlined the Malaika Beach Festival which was scheduled for Saturday.
His management told The Herald last Friday that they had put aside US$500 as reward for anyone with the handset.
“Initially we had put US$300 but then it’s not the handset that we are worried about but the contacts. There is no way we will be able to recover the contacts. So anyone with the handset can give it to Clint Robinson (the Zimbabwean show promoter),” the management said.
Contacted for comment, Robinson confirmed that the reward of US$500 had been set aside.
The “Energy God” took to the stage with the handset. a Blackberry, tucked in a pouch on his waist and when he got carried away by the huge turnout at the show, Elephant Man rolled on stage and climbed on top of the scaffold just to whip fans into frenzy.
He was simply no match to local dancehall musicians whose patois is acquired rather than natural. Throughout his breathtaking act, the security struggled to keep fans off the stage, a situation which could have made it easy for thieves to pounce on Elephant Man. There was also chaos off the stage as rowdy fans rained missiles at the police and security guards.
Later, the police gave in after Winky D had ordered his fans (maninjas) to move closer to the stage.
However, the zealots didn’t stop throwing missiles and at one point Godfather Templeman, who was the emcee, shouted that Zimbabwe was not Afghanistan as missiles rained on stage.
Some fans sustained head injuries and bruises from the “bombardment” while others screamed themselves hoarse.
There was more chaos outside the gates and hundreds of fans got free entry to the show as organisers moved in to stop the situation from degenerating into a stampede.
Judging by the performances by Zimbabwean artistes among them Guspy Warrior, Sniper Storm, Jiggaz and Ricky Fire it appears dancehall music is on a higher level.