Waagan: Shelving the Open Mic Festival - Part 1

Waagan (right) speaks to Killa Ace on the panel. © Gom Sa Bopa

By Yusef Taylor and Haddy Ceesay

The now-cancelled Open Mic Festival, held at The Gambia’s Independence Stadium in Bakau around November and December, was the most popular concert in the country by a country mile. Many Gambians and friends planned their end-of-year holidays around the Open Mic Fest, making it a huge tourist attraction since 2007 and an even bigger stage for talent discovery. However, since 2019, pioneers of the event Black Lynx, Francis “Xmyls” Mendy and Abdoukarim “Waagan” Faye, have shelved the event.

Waagan revealed during a panel discussion organised by Team Gom Sa Bopa prior to the Open Mic Street Rap Battles the reasons for the legacy event’s cancellation and it’s possible revival. During the panel discussion held on 4th January 2025 at the Youth Monument, themed "Enhancing Artist Engagement on Social Issues" one of the panelists, Pa Modou Sarr, the President of the Gambian Music Union, asked Waagan who was another panelist about this.

“Waagan owes us an explanation, because I know people that will book their flight 12 months in advance just to attend the Open Mic Festival. In fact, the Open Mic Festival has been one of those platforms that we used as an avenue to change a lot of stuff in this country, politically and socially,” said the Music Union President.

He added that “platforms like that cannot just go like that" and “the Open Mic is the biggest platform that I’ve ever played” as a drummer for different musicians for this country. “Are we able to have Open Mic Festival in the Gambia again? It’s going to be a very huge lost opportunity for us not to have the Open Mic Festival. I know we have plans around this; what is wrong with consolidating and working with partners to make sure we make things happen?”

Pa Modou Sarr, President of the Gambia Music Union © Gom Sa Bopa

In response, Waagan explained the importance of selling The Gambia as an experience that would attract people to the country’s culture, just like Brazil is known for football and their beautiful beaches. He referenced the Ninkinanka trail, which could be comparable to the Lochness monster in Scotland. Speaking specifically to the issue, he noted that “everything in life will some day come to an end, including our lives. Once we get to learn to accept that, that’s just the reality of life.”

Giving more specifics, he explained that “we got to a point we needed to grow; after doing something for over a decade, you need to grow, personally and businesswise. If I get to a point where it’s stagnant, I just have to go find something else. We needed to grow, and we did attempt to make the growth, but I don’t think the audience and the general public appreciated the growth. And I don’t think they owe us anything. No, they don't, but also keep in mind that just as the audience don’t owe us anything, I in turn don’t owe the audience my life”.

He reiterated that “I owe you that three minutes of entertainment, which is a part of my life. I give you that, and you give me your two dalasis. Your two dalasis is not by force for you to give me, but also, it’s not by force for me to give my three minutes. If you no longer want to buy my three minutes, I’ll take my three minutes elsewhere to someone else who appreciates my three minutes”.

Waagan makes first revelation on Open Mic Festival © Gom Sa Bopa

In their quest for expansion, Waagan revealed how “it went to a point we were also doing it for tourism. Before the end of the Open Mic, I spent maybe six, seven years travelling practically around the world trying to link with different people at different festivals. Going to Spain, Tanzania, South Africa, Senegal, of course, Mali, Cameroon, Nigeria, Morocco, and Visa for Music. Linking with different people, but every time we went there, the question was, how can they benefit from that? So, we gave it a lot of thought. We have to figure out how to expand. We have to figure out a way to welcome others so that those others can welcome us to what they have. We tried to do that, but the audience didn’t appreciate it, and like I said, the audience doesn’t owe us anything. I still to this day stand on the idea of expansion. The mistake I think we made was that we didn’t explain to the audience prior. But the idea of expansion deep inside, I’m satisfied that I did it”.

“So, the audience didn’t appreciate it, and right after that, COVID-19 came. Covid gave me the opportunity to be introspective. I got the chance to look inside. I had studied something totally different,” revealed the former Black Lynx Event Organiser.

Panellists on Gom Sa Bopa Panel Discussion © Gom Sa Bopa

Coming from a typical African family with a traditional African father, Waagan revealed how his father considered his musical career as the biggest disappointment of his [father’s] life. Mainly because his dad couldn’t understand why he went to college and ended up pursuing music after he returned home. Even though numerous people told his dad how well he was doing, “you could just see the expression on his face”. Waagan always wanted to build that relationship with his dad, and he would engage him about his music career, but his father was not receptive. This could probably be down to the fact that his father was quite traditional and a member of the Mosque Committee.

When COVID-19 came, Waagan decided to pursue a different career route, which helped to build his relationship with his father. “After the COVID, the passion was no longer there for me, the drive was no longer there for me. At the time COVID had ended, I had personally and mentally moved on. Right now, the drive for music is no longer there for me”, said Waagan.

The second part of this two-part story reveals Waagan’s response to reviving the Open Mic Festival.