31/05/2026
Shop With The Stars Launch + SaloneJamboree 17th Anniversary
Speech by Murtala Mohamed Kamara, Founder and CEO
_Friday, 29th May 2026_
Good afternoon, Sierra Leone. Good afternoon, friends, family, artists, partners, and dreamers.
Today is not just another day. Today is history repeating itself.
On the 29th of May 2009, at the British Council Auditorium, SaloneJamboree was born. We launched a website with one bold idea: to promote the emerging Arts and Entertainment industry in Sierra Leone. One year later, we took that same fire to print. For 17 years, we have shown up. Online. In print. On the streets. In the prisons. In the studios.
17 years on, we haven’t just reported the news. We’ve created it. We’ve featured almost every artist this country has birthed. We’ve told their stories, beyond the headlines. We’ve organized events that changed lives.
Let me remind you of one. In 2019, we walked into prison walls with a crazy idea: the Miss Correctional Beauty Pageant. We trained women behind bars in skills, public speaking, and catwalk. We told them: your circumstances do not define your crown. Today, the Miss Correctional Beauty Queen is right here with us. She received a Presidential pardon. She’s back in school. And she wants to be a lawyer.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the power of SaloneJamboree. We don’t just cover culture. We create second chances.
And we’re not stopping. Next, we will launch our awards event to honor the giants in Arts, Tourism, and Culture. The dancers, the musicians, the filmmakers, the tour guides, the chefs, the storytellers. The people who make Sierra Leone beautiful. It’s time we put their names in lights.
Today, we add a new chapter: _Shop With The Stars SL_.
Why does it matter? Because shopping should not be stressful. It should be relaxed, it should be fun, and it should make you feel like a star. With Shop With The Stars, every shopper is honored. Every purchase is a moment. Every customer becomes part of the story we love telling. We’re turning errands into experiences.
And we couldn’t do it without the right partner. SaloneJamboree is proud to partner with ICONA London. Their products are affordable, guaranteed, and made for people like you and me. From Palampo to Bye Bye Blackout, ICONA London proves that quality doesn’t have to break the bank. This partnership means our artists, our shoppers, our communities get more value for less.
17 years ago we started with a website and a dream. Today we launch a platform, a partnership, and a promise: that Sierra Leonean talent, culture, and enterprise will always have a stage.
So thank you. Thank you to every artist who trusted us with your story. Thank you to every reader who clicked, shared, and believed. Thank you to ICONA London for believing in this vision. Thank you to all of you here today.
SaloneJamboree is 17. But our best chapters are still unwritten. Let’s write them together.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the future of shopping. Welcome to _Shop With The Stars SL_.
Thank you, and God bless Sierra Leone.
