- Title: NIGERIA: One-month long Jackson tribute in Nigeria
- Date: 4th July 2009
- Summary: MICHAEL JACKSON T SHIRTS FAN SIGNING CONDOLENCES BOOK MICHAEL JACKSON PHOTOS NEXT TO THE CONDOLENCES BOOK CROWDS IN THE GALLERIA WATCHING TELEVISION SCREEN AND LIVE MUSIC SHOWS MICHAEL JACKSON POSTERS IN THE GALLERIA EVENT ORGANISER BEN BRUCE SPEAKING TO FANS FANS WATCHING
- Embargoed: 19th July 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVAB3NWGCOJ4JUD1V7A9PED2KIEC
- Story Text: Grieving Nigerian fans of Michael Jackson will sing and dance for a month to celebrate the pop star's life.
Michael Jackson fans in Nigeria turned up in their thousands to grieve the loss of their pop icon with song and dance in the commercial city of Lagos.
Like elsewhere, the death of the king of pop icon was received with much shock in Africa's most populous country. A local radio presenter broke down in tears and could not continue with her show and many others were saddened on hearing the news.
Ben Bruce, one of Nigeria's most influential businessmen and a long-time fan of Michael Jackson, said unlike the developed world where fans had venues to gather to grieve and release steam, Nigeria has none.
Seeing the need for an emotional outlet, Bruce together with other businessmen decided to host a one month grieving event in one of their business centres in Lagos.
"Nigerians needed a place to celebrate his life and they had no place, so we decided to pay tribute to Michael, to celebrate his life here at the gallery, to mourn him at the same time. We have people sign messages over to him and after this month long of mourning is over, we are going to take all this and put it together and send it to Never Land and present it to his parents," Bruce said on Thursday (July 2).
Jackson's death on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest at his rented Los Angeles mansion has sent many of his records back into the top of music charts and prompted tributes from fans and musicians world-wide like this one in Lagos.
Thousands of Nigerian fans are expected next Tuesday (July 7) when the screening of the memorial will go live on the giant television screens mounted in and outside the venue.
To many Nigerians like Bruce, no one particular person had made such impact on their lives. Bruce said that he owed his entertainment business to the influence of Michael Jackson. He said that before he watched the pop icon perform on stage in the U.S, he had never thought of making money in the entertainment business. Today he owns a chain of movies houses, a television and radio channel, hotels and shopping malls in Nigeria and is expanding to other parts of the continent.
"How many people can rise their left hand or wear a glove and we know who he his? How many people could rise up their pants, or because of socks, or shoes, or the length of his pants and you would be talking of Michael Jackson, no one!" said Bruce.
A host of local music celebrities are also expected to part in the month long event. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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