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At the Nuits d’Afrique festival, they really wanted to present events in front of audiences, and deploy a digital strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe signed an agreement with Livetoune, a company that does quality recordings. We also invested in the club, Balattou, which is now transformed; we have a new lighting system, show curtains, new stage floor, the whole kit! This summer, we presented an acoustic cabaret, with two groups every night from Thursday to Sunday. Our audience followed the instructions very well, we were encouraged.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thus, 25 concerts were programmed, including several webcasts. Obviously, this is no longer the case: only Wesli and Mateo\u2019s performances have been held in front of an audience, those not scheduled for webcasting have all been cancelled, the others will take place as planned but without an audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were very proud to showcase the scene here, but we still chose local artists of international calibre. Many of them are already touring, and many others have the potential to do so. Our media partners were ready to get on board, our advertising campaign was off to a good start and it all stopped suddenly. It\u2019s very hard to live through,\u201d Rousseau laments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like so many organizations dedicated to the performing arts, Nuits d\u2019Afrique are seeing several initiatives shot down in the red zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe wanted to show that it was possible to present a festival to the public in complete safety. When scheduling our indoor concerts, we took great care to keep people at a distance and within the prescribed rules. It was really well organised, it’s a pity that this was not taken into consideration. I don’t have the time to analyze what’s going on… in fact, I don\u2019t want to. I have to stop thinking about it… it\u2019s too much emotion! Instead, I try to focus on our webcasts, making sure they are well edited and widely seen. So I\u2019m saving my energy for those who can play and be seen, and to make sure it goes well. Afterwards, when it\u2019s over, I\u2019ll be able to analyze it, but for now\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, the management of Nuits d’Afrique had foreseen the financial viability of the event without an audience. \u201cOur set-up involved a very low gauge on the ticketing side, so we did not expect significant autonomous revenue. This is why we are going to maintain all the performances in the theatres planned for audiovisual recordings. We\u2019re confident of achieving real success with the webcasts. What worries me is what comes next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n