..:: SeneRAP ::..

The 15th Africa Festival in Würzburg once again attracted numerous friends of African music: 105,148 visitors this year make it the greatest European festival for African music and culture.



Apart from a bazaar with over 100 stands, an arts and crafts market and a special program for children the festival offered a perspective of African music today. A traditional drum combo, the Badenya Les Freres Coulibaly, opened the festival, followed by Salif Keita from Mali, a superstar of the African music scene, who combines his African roots with worldbeat in a masterly way and enthralled the audience with his magic charisma. Oliver Mtukudzi from Zimbabwe conveyed South African rhythms as well as clear political messages, which made his performance perhaps the best concert of the whole festival. Cheb Bilal from Algeria showed the people what modern, contemporary Rai is all about. Cuban singer Yusa brought Cuban rhythms, combined with hints of jazz and pop - we will surely hear a lot about her in the future. The Paris Salsa All Stars then conjured up a South American party feeling in the big top, which was sold out every day. On the final evening there was a hot reggae night with Tonton David from Reunion, and finally Alpha Blondy from the Ivory Coast rounded off the festival in a brilliant way, thus underlining his special status as an African reggae legend once again.


In the early Sunday afternoon there was a big crowd of people in front of the open stage. During the show "Reggae and Hip Hop without Borders" Afrodynamix offered a mix of opulent brass sounds and African drum rhythms. Shooting star Mellow Mark quickly captivated the audience with his political messages, and Positive Black Soul (with special guest Patrice) and Pee Froiss demonstrated the powerful aura of Senerap. The Tuareg bands Tartit, Tidawt and Marhaba took the audience on a musical journey to the Sahara. Adama Yalomba and his band as well as Yunasi played contemporary music from Africa. The African Show Boyz from Ghana were the new discovery on the open stage. With their sizzling show of music, dance and acrobatics they captured people's hearts and were celebrated enthusiastically.


The Tuareg camp of musicians from Mali and Niger attracted a huge number of visitors who rested with a cup of tea in front of or inside the tents and talked with the representatives of the nomadic people, which was the main topic of the festival. A discussion on Sunday morning on the Foreign Aid Program Mali North (by the Society for Technical Cooperation) was also visited by lots of interested people. At a midnight party in the first night of the festival with DJ Wagner Pa from Barcelona and members of his band Brazuca Matraca the CD "Drop the Debt" was presented which calls for a remission of the debts for the countries of the so-called Third World.


This year Jean Marc Durou was honored with the Africa Festival Award for his extraordinary photographs as well as the organizers of the "Festival in the Desert" from Mali. The TV station Viva and the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation recorded this year's Africa Festival. On July 10 (11.50 pm) the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation is showing a 45-minute film on the festival. On June 29 (10 pm) Viva is showing a two-hour report (repeat on July 2 at 11pm).

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