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SURROUNDING PROGRAMME

23. December 2015
  • 11 Feb

    WELCOME

    Welcome to our 31st International Africa Festival at Mainwiesen
    in Würzburg! We would like to thank you, dear audience, again for having contributed in the celebration of the wonderful anniversary festival last year. Artists who were close to your
    and our hearts and who have been making the festival as a permanent institution successful over all these years made this festival unforgettable. None other than Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier himself showed how important the festival is especially during these times. He inaugurated the festival in 2018. We will continue to courageously proceed as there are many more musical treasures to explore on the African continent and the corresponding diaspora.

    We start our journey to the black continent in the Caribbean in a colourful and rhythmic way: with one of the best steel bands in the world. For the first time in a long while, we will be having a street parade from the islands of Aruba and Curacao again. The highlight of this day will be the legendary Calypso Rose who has already enthused the audience of the festival tent several years ago.

    We are particularly proud that we were able to book 10 bands and artists who have never performed at the Africa Festival before or in Germany thanks to the voting and the many contributions of our audience. With the Ndlovu Youth Choir there will even be a choir from South Africa performing for the first time on the main stage. Furthermore, you will surely be excited about the debut of the afrobeat women of Kokoroko or the show of Mokoomba.

    Be sure to visit the university of Würzburg when you have a moment. The world-famous photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher will be presenting an insight into rituals of the African continent, which have almost disappeared, with their extraordinary exhibition “African Twilight”.

    With the wonderful basar, the programme in the children’s tent for which we were able to book Adesa and storyteller Ibu again, the daily fashion show of the Senegalese fashion designer Rama Diaw, our DJs in the Havana Club, as well as the ARTE cinema tent and the wine tent we will of course feature many of your belo-ved evergreens again. The cultural TV channel ARTE is again the partner of the 31st Africa festival and will be presenting the cinema tent on the festival ground for the eleventh time with a programme featuring films about music and culture of West Africa and the Caribbean.

    “Different Colors – One People!“ – with this festival motto we are looking forward to your visit and wish you wonderful days at the festival!

    Kind regards
    Your Afro Project team

  • 01 Mar

    STAGE FOR TRADITIONAL MUSIC

    Like every year, visitors can get to know traditional music from West Africa (Guinea, the Gambia, Senegal and Ghana) under the bridge next to the bazaar. They can listen to different percussion instruments like saba, djembe and doun-doun. The Senegalese kora player Saliou Cissoko from Casamance adds calm and relaxing sounds.

     

    Saliou Cissokho © Bugs Steffen
  • 01 Mar

    ACROBATICS AND STREET PARADE


    Street parade Adesa | © Patty Varasano

    On Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 12:45 and 2:45 pm respectively acrobatics and music group Adesa will present a breathtaking street parade. The parade will start at the children’s tent and move across the festival ground and will pick up the young audience along the way right when the children’s programme starts.

    Street parade Adesa| © Patty Varasano
  • 01 Mar

    PHOTO EXHIBITION

    AFRICAN TWILIGHT:VANISHING
    RITUALS & CEREMONIES

     

    For the last 15 years, the international accepted photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher have continued their 40 year journey across Africa, seeking out remote communities, crossing thousands of miles through often extremely inhospitable terrain to record the traditional ceremonies of the people living there today. They were able to gain the trust of tribal elders and healers who let them take part in ceremonies which are usually closed to outsiders, The images, which were also released in 2 books, capture the vast cultural diversity of the continent and span the human life cycle from birth to death, The photos range a.o. from fireside rituals around the grass huts of the Bushmen in the Kalahari Desert, to young boys’ initiations into warriors in the forests of DR Congo and the spectacular mask
    dancing festivals of Burkina Faso. Africa is changing at a dramatic pace - over 40% of what the photographers have recorded no longer exists. The impressing exhibition shows traditional cultures that will soon vanish! The exhibition consists of 26 colour photos and will take place at the University of Würzburg (Sanderring 2, 97070 Würzburg) from 17 May to 26 July 2019. As an addition to the exhibition, the two photographers will also talk about their work in a lecture, which will take place at Havana Club on Saturday, 01 June 2019 at 11:30 am. There, they will also speak about their new book and sign copies for the visitors.

  • 01 Mar

    RUM TASTING

    ©Havana Club

    Sugar was the gold of the Caribbean. It was produced from sugar canes and could be sold expensively in Europe in the 17th and 17th century. Rum is made of molasses – a side product during the production of cane sugar. Because of Europe´s own sugar production from sugar beets, the trade with sugar became less important. However the rum making in the Caribbean stayed significant. Each island has its own rum. The type of sugar, the soil, the climate and the storage time are responsible for the various rum flavours. The way of handling and storage in different barrels is also relevant for the taste. To present the best-known drink of the Caribbean, the festival invited a rum expert. Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm he will present three different high-quality rums at the open-air cocktail lounge. Visitors can also try different cocktails and rums at the Havana Club. As some of the best rums come from Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad, we have decided to offer a tasting with rum from these islands. You can sample three different types of rums from Trinidad on Friday, Barbados on Saturday and Jamaica on Sunday. It is allowed to taste in a modest way!

  • ARTE Kinozelt 01 Mar

    ARTE CINEMA TENT

    Der Fernsehsender ARTE begleitet das 31. Africa Festival erneut als Partner. Bereits zum 11. Mal präsentiert sich ARTE vor Ort mit dem ARTE Kinozelt mitten auf dem Festivalgelände mit Dokumentarfilmen unter anderem zur Musikkultur in der Karibik und Südafrika.


    Und aus ganz aktuellem Anlass gibt es eine Programmänderung: Am Festivalfreitag feiern zwei Filme aus dem ARTE-Programmschwerpunkt AFRIKA! ihre Premiere im ARTE Kinozelt. Africa Rising (ARTE/ZDF 2019, 90 Min.) und Soul Ladies (ARTE/HR 2019, 52 Min.) widmen sich speziell der afrikanischen Musikkultur und ihren Einflüssen und Erfolgen in der westlichen Welt


    Sobald das Africa Festival zu Ende gegangen ist, geht es ab dem 7. Juni auf ARTE weiter: Ein großer Schwerpunkt mit Dokus, Konzerten und Reportagen widmet sich zwei Wochen lang dem Kontinent mit all seiner Vielfalt: Musik und Tanz, Kunst und Kino, Natur und Ökologie. Informationen und Programme finden Sie unter arte.tv/afrika

    DONNERSTAG:

    20:30 Uhr | Trinidad - Heißes Pflaster in der Karibik
    Dokumentarfilm von Peter Weinert, ARTE/HR 2010, 43 Min

    21:30 Uhr | Pan! Our Music Odyssey
    Dokumentarfilm von Jérôme Guiot und Thierry Teston, Frankreich/Trinidad Tobago 2014, 75 Min, Englisch
    Mit einer Einführung durch den Ideengeber des Filmprojekts Jean-Michel Gibert (Caribbean Music Group) – Englisch

    FREITAG:

    Filmpremieren aus dem ARTE Schwerpunkt „AFRIKA!“

    20:30 Uhr | Filmpremiere: Soul Ladies - Zwischen Afrika und Europa
    Dokumentarfilm von Alexander C. Stenzel, ARTE/HR 2018, 52 Min

    21:30 Uhr | Africa Rising
    Dokumentarfilm von Thorsten Ernst, Jean-Alexander Ntivyihabwa, ARTE/ZDF 2019, 90 Min.
    Anschließend Gespräch mit dem Regisseur Jean-Alexander Ntivyihabwa

     

     

     

    SAMSTAG:

    20:30 Uhr | Fonko: Urbane Musiktrends in Südafrika und Nigeria
    Dokumentarfilm von Göran Olsson, Lamin Daniel Jadama und Lars Lovén, Schweden 2015, 52 Min

    21:30 Uhr | Kubas göttliche Rhythmen: Die afrikanischen Wurzeln von Salsa und Son
    Dokumentarfilm von Alexander C. Stenzel, ARTE/HR, 2013, 52 Min


    SONNTAG:

    20:30 Uhr | Reggae Boyz
    Dokumentarfilm von Till Schauder, ARTE 2018, 74 Min






    ARTE Logo

    TRINIDAD – HOT PLACE IN THE CARIBBEAN

    The film shows the sights of the Caribbean island, as well as aspects that are rather unknown: the production and tuning of the steel drums – which are important instruments for the famous calypso and soca music; the tailoring of the colourful and opulent costumes for the legendary carnival; the beautiful sandy beaches but also the “pitch lake“: a huge lake made of natural tarmac.
    © HR

    PAN! OUR MUSIC ODYSSEY

    In Trinidad and Tobago each year thousands of musicians participate with huge percussion groups (sometimes more than 100 people) in the steel band competition “Panorama“. Steel band music was created out of necessity when former slaves used old metal barrels as drums. Today the steel pan is the national instrument of Trinidad and the competition attracts musicians and fans from all around the world. The film music was partly created by the legendary Calypso Rose – who will again be performing at the Africa Festival this year.
    © Rituals Music

    SOUL LADIES – BETWEEN AFRICA AND EUROPE

    Three strong women who have already enthused the audience of the Africa Festival with their music and charisma: Y’akoto, Nneka and Grammy-award winner Angélique Kidjo. All three commute between different worlds and find their home in music. The film, which will premiere at the Africa Festival, portrays the artists, enquires about their roots and their self-perception and shows their commitment
    to tolerance, freedom and human rights.
    ©Angélique Kidjo

    Africa Rising

    AFRICA RISING

    Stars und Zeitzeugen erzählen vom Boom der afrikanischen Popmusik und ihrer Wirkung auf den Westen. Die Dokumentation schlägt einen Bogen von der Euphorie der jungen afrikanischen Popkultur in der Unabhängigkeitsära bis hin zur Gegenwart. In der Musik verarbeiten die Künstler die koloniale Vergangenheit, feiern das Ende der Apartheid und thematisieren ihre Sicht auf Politik und Gesellschaft. Der Film zeigt viele Künstler und Stile, die auch in Europa und den USA große Erfolge feierten; darunter auch viele, die bereits auf dem Africa Festival in Würzburg zu Gast waren wie Alpha Blondy, Papa Wemba und Miriam Makeba.

    © Sony Music

    FONKO: URBAN MUSIC TRENDS IN SOUTH AFRICA AND NIGERIA

    South Africa and Nigeria: two regional super powers in Africa – and pioneers for developments in pop culture and innovative styles. The active club music in South Africa produces styles like SA House and Shangaan electro. Nigeria, where the gap between poor and rich couldn’t be any wider, produces the most commercially successful music of the continent. But there is also a vital protest scene, which continues the work of the late Fela Kuti with musicians like Nneka and Femi Kuti.

    © Story

    CUBA‘S DIVINE RHYTHMS – THE AFRICAN ROOTS OF SALSA AND SON

    Sea, sun and beaches, the repeatedly photographed charm of dilapidated house facades and tenderly looked after antique cars – Cuba is a country which stirs up longings. But the country is mainly known for its people and their music. Cuban music is more than salsa and son, a whole universe of different rhythms and styles. The film shows Cuba beyond all clichés: a musical journey through a country where African rhythms and gods determine the religious reasoning and everyday life.
    © HR

    REGGAE BOYZ

    Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. But when it comes to music, it is as rich as barely any other country and is considered the birthplace of jazz and blues. But this precious heritage is in danger: the radical Islamists in the North of the country ban dance and secular music. The movie by Lutz Gregor shows musicians who use their music to fight for peace and religious freedom in Mali: Touareg Ahmed Ag Kaedy, rapper Master Sumi and world music star Fatoumata Diawara.
    © RealFiction Filmverleih
  • Basar und Handwerkermarkt 01 Mar

    BAZAAR & FOOD

    Maskenhändler | © Mario Gerth

    The bazaar has lots on offer once again, such as African percussion and musical instruments, books and CDs with a traditional and modern African sound. Extraordinary clothing and materials, jewellery and sculptures, masks and artistic, as well as practical objects will also enthuse visitors. In order to indulge in fine food, the bazaar and food area will be offering African and oriental delicacies to you from Thursday to Sunday (11:00 am - 11:00 pm). This year, you can enjoy among others dishes from Senegal, Ethiopia, Morocco, Cameroon and Ruanda!

    OASIS OF BEAUTY & RELAXATION

     © Bugs Steffen

    Away from the turmoil of the festival visitors can take a break from everyday life at our new oasis of relaxation, where they can chill-out in deck chairs or enjoy stuffed dates, pastry and Moroccan tea. Big trees, parasols and the authentic Moroccan royal tent provide shade. Women who do henna tattoos or braid hair will make you even prettier.

  • 01 Mar

    BAMBOO HALL

    Bambushalle | © Bugs Steffen

    There will again be a bamboo hall at the 31st International Africa Festival where different initiatives and media will present themselves. The "Mama Afrika" initiative takes a stand against female genital mutilation in Guinea. The "Baobab Children Foundation" wants to make sure that children and young adults in Ghana receive education. The association "Freundeskreis Omnibili" will inform guests about its project featuring bushmen in Namibia. "Terre des Femmes", a non-profit human rights organisation for women and girls and the "Alpensolar Human e.V." association, which wants to further solar technology in Africa, will also be featured in the bamboo hall. Furthermore, the African print magazine LoNam and taz, which present the festival, will also have an information booth at the bamboo hall.

    The information booths of the bamboo hall will be open daily from 11 am to 6 pm.

    © Baobab

    BAOBAB CHILDREN FOUNDATION

    INFORMATION BOOTH

    Is a Ghanaian non goverment organisation which has been running a vocational centre for youths for more than 15 years, which is located between Kissi and Kwahinkrom. This is a rural area, where children often don’t have a chance to receive an education, as, from an early age on, they must help their parents or grandparents with their work at a farm or with selling produce. Often financial reasons make it impossible for children or youths to visit a school – there is no money for a school uniform, for books or notebooks and often times the way to the next school is too long. 16 years ago Edith de Vos founded the Baobab Children Foundation for these youths.

    © Mama Afrika

    MAMA AFRIKA

    INFORMATION BOOTH

    Mama Afrika is a recognised non-profit, African-German association, which wants to make African culture known in Germany by means of different cultural projects. Thus it is contributing to integration. The main goal of the organisation is the fight against female genital mutilation. In the last two years, the association managed to complete their kindergarten. The next aim is founding a school where above all the children, but also their parents, are educated about the causes and consequences of female genital mutilation.

    © Ombili

    OMBILI

    INFORMATION BOOTH

    One of the oldest ethnic groups of humankind, the SAN – also known as Bushmen – has been robbed of its roots and living space and is in dire straits to lose its cultural and social identity. Ever since there have been people in Africa, they have been hunter-gatherers. They have never settled but have always been peaceful and thus became easy targets of expulsion and neglect. Only the careful attempt to help them lead a settled life and introduce their children to education will enable the SAN to conserve their identity and their tradition. The OMBILI association near Tsumeb is committed to this task.

    © Sigrid Hempfling

    MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES

    INFORMATION BOOTH

    Médecins sans Frontières was founded in 1971 by a group of French doctors as a private, nongovernmental humanitarian organization. They set themselves the task to provide medical relief in crisis or conflict areas, regardless of religious, ethnical or political interests. In order to preserve this independence, MSF is mainly funded through private donations. In 1999, the organization was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize for their work. MSF provides worldwide medical emergency assistance in more than 70 countries. The majority of the aid projects are currently in Africa.

    © Terre des femmes

    TERRE DES FEMMES

    INFORMATION BOOTH

    TERRE DES FEMMES is a non-profit human rights organisation for women and girls. The central themes are domestic and sexual abuse, forced marriage and crimes committed in marriage, female genital mutilation, trafficking in women and forced prostitution. In Africa TERRE DES FEMMES is cooperating with women’s rights organisations in Mali, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone and supports educational projects for girls in Cameroon. The goal of TERRE DES FEMMES is a world worth living for all girls and women – equal, self-determined and free.

    © Alpensolar Human e.V.

    ALPENSOLAR HUMAN E.V.

    INFORMATION BOOTH

    The Alpensolar association from Allgäu wants to further the solar technology in Africa in the future, as there are still many villages without electricity. In the spring, the association provided 50 villages in Togo with photovoltaic systems. With these systems the villagers can charge their power banks (USB miniature batteries) at 24 USB ports and thus use them to charge their cell phones or power a reading lamp. One system can charge up to 100 power banks per day. For the people this means enrichment in the areas of education, communication and wellbeing. Each pupil in a school can e.g. be provided with a power bank and a reading lamp.

    ©Tiranke Diallo / Mama Afrika

    S.OLIVER & AFRO PROJECT E. V.

    This year, too, the international fashion and lifestyle company s.Oliver will be supporting the 31st International Africa Festival. There will be charity events with the non-profit organisation “Afro Project e.V.” (registered association). As in the previous years, visitors can participate in a photo and batik session. The proceeds will go to the “Mama Afrika” association. The aim of the association is to stop the dangerous tradition of female genital mutilation. There will be a booth in the bamboo hall where visitors can get information about the non-profit work of “Mama Afrika”.

  • 01 Mar

    CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME

     

    © Bugs Steffen

    The children’s programme is a permanent feature of the Africa Festival. This year it will again take place in a circus tent, so that our youngest visitors have their own little area and are protected if it rains. The Senegalese author and musician Ibrahima Ndiaye will lead trough the programme. He knows how to entertain his young audience with his own unique mix of traditional storytelling, pantomime, percussion, dancing and singing.

    The African artistic ensemble Adesa from Ghana will leave the children amazed. This year, from Friday to Sunday, they’ll feature an African clown and an acrobatics show in the multi-tent and a street parade. Children of all ages will also be provided with space and entertainment outside of the children’s tent: “Karibuni Watoto – Welcome, Children!” will be the name of the closed-off children’s area, where there will be a huge amount of games on offer, away from the hustle and bustle of the main festival. We’re pleased that this year, s.Oliver will be taking over the organisation of the children’s area again. To match the 50th anniversary of the company, the s.Oliver team came up with special activities. The little visitors of the festival will be entertained with face painting, crafting and a playground. The slightly older children can be junior designers and create their own T-shirt featuring different motifs and colours at the screen printing station. While the children are busy being creative, the parents can relax in the chill-out area. There will also be an area for breastfeeding and nappy changing.



    The children’s area is open daily from noon to 8:00 pm, and entrance is free of charge for visitors of the festival.

     © Bugs Steffen

    © Mario Gerth

    © Patty Varasano
  • 01 Mar

    FASHION SHOW

    FASHION

    MADE IN AFRICA

     © Mario Gerth

    The fashion designer Rama Diaw from Saint Louis (Senegal) has been creating modern African fashion and accessories for a few years now and uses native techniques and materials like batik and indigo fabrics. All materials she uses are purchased directly from Senegal, Mauretania and Mali. Because of her passion for fashion she created the federation “Aissaitou”, which brings together underprivileged dressmakers, sewers and cloth dyers in the countryside to offer them work. In order to support this project, Afro Project again provides a tent and catwalk free of charge and organises a fashion show with the creations of Madame Rama. By mixing wax (a modern fabric) and rabal (a traditional fabric) Diaw combines the subtlety of forms and the robustness of matter. Senegalese and African Women are subtle and persevering. With her new fashion show “Perseverance“ Madame Rama wants to emphasize the status of African Women in society.

    The fashion shows take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 02:30 pm and 04:30 pm next to the Havana Club.

     

  • 01 Mar

    WINE ENCOUNTERS

     

    Due to the great success in 2018, there will again be a tent with a terrace directly on the banks of the river that is exclusively reserved to wine. There are exclusive wines both here in Franconia and in South Africa, after all. Therefore, we have again invited two wineries from the Cape Region in South Africa – “Thandi” and “Cape Dreams” – to present their wines. At the same time, the winery “Am Stein” in Würzburg, a top Franconian winegrower, will be presenting its noble grapes. So there will be the opportunity to taste wines from two different growing areas in direct comparison and to get expert advice.

     

    Ludwig Knoll from the winery „Am Stein” in the orak barrel cellar

     

    Both South African wineries are special because they are predominantly or completely owned by black and coloured people, whereas the South African wine industry still is widely in whitehands. “Cape Dreams” is a company of 100% “black economic empowerment”. “Thandi” is the first wine brand in the world to receive Fairtrade accreditation. Both companies produce wines of the highest quality.

     

    Vernon Henn from "Thandi Wines"

     

    In support of the new South Africa, the Africa Festival has invited these two wine-growing estates to Würzburg. “Weingut am Stein” has been cultivating some of the most prestigious locations in Franconia,currently already in the 5th generation and since 2006 even ecologically. At the Africa Festival 2019 Antonia Knoll, the daughter of the house, will be presenting the winery and its wines. Besides outstanding quality, which secured the winery its membership in Verband deutscher Prädikatsweingüter (the Association of German wine estates with distinction, abbreviated VDP) in 2001, it also stands for ecological winegrowing and remarkable architecture. Opening hours: 3:00 pm – 11:00 pm.

  • 01 Mar

    HAVANA CLUB & COCKTAIL LOUNGE

    The Havana Club is a well established place to meet at the Africa Festival – it is all about Caribbean rum, cocktails and hot Caribbean music. This year, to start off our “Noche Latina”, DJ Carlos de las Aguas from Colombia will present hot salsa, cumbia, merengue and other Latin music on Thursday and Friday. Furthermore, on both evenings, the band “Puente Latino” featuring the exceptional trumpet player Olsen Ceballo from Cuba, will be performing at 11:00 pm. All salseros who love to dance are cordially invited!
    On Saturday and Sunday Selecter Manitu and his daughter DJane Afropunk of the Lucky Punch Soundsystem will be playing afrobeats and reggaeton as well as dancehall and reggae.

     

    Disco time at the Havana Club is from Thursday to Saturday from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am and on Sunday from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm.

    Our multi-tent also catches the vibe at night – legendary DJ Hi John from Jamaica will celebrate a hot reggae party – and you are invited!
    Thursday to Saturday from 7:00 pm to midnight.

     

     

    Open Air Cocktail-Lounge | © Jan Müller

    OPEN AIR COCKTAIL-LOUNGE

    In our cocktail lounge visitors can enjoy different cocktails from 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Our employee Juan Carlos Albarez will serve original cocktail classics like Mojito and Cuba Libre. A chill-out area with comfortable deckchairs, umbrellas and Cuban music invites visitors to relax.
  • 01 Mar

    PANEL DISCUSSION

    AFRO GERMANY POSITIVE

    Panel discussion at the Havana Club on 02 June 2019, at 11.30 a.m.

    Host: Sarah Bergh

    One important item on the agenda, which we will emphasize again this year, is Afro Germany. Last year, amongst others, the ISD initiative (“Initiative for black people in Germany“) introduced itself to our visitors as a contact point for questions and problems particularly concerning everyday racism. This time, we use the key word afro Germany positive to introduce people who manage their life with this issue in a positive way and thus show new ways for living together. These people will take part in the panel discussion at Havana Club on Sunday, 02 June 2019 at 11:30 am:

    Sarah Bergh
    She is living in Munich and is a pedagogue with expert knowledge in psychology and theatre arts. She has been working at the Pedagogue Instituteof the city of Munich since 2015. Previously, she has organised and accompanied art and cultural projects. Now her focus is on political education, which also includes the topics migration and racism. She grew up with German and Ghanaian roots and has been the host of the concerts since the 19th Africa Festival
    © Bugs Steffen

    Pamela Aryeh – Education researcher
    Besides having studied educational sciences, she has also completed her African studies. Her bachelor thesis was about the topic “hair politics and empowerment“. Since her early childhood she has been regularly travelling to her second home Ghana. Currently she is working in Cologne at Social Services, which focuses on migration and integration.

     

    © Bugs Steffen

    Leila Akinyi – Singer
    The hip-hop and afropop singer who grew up in Cologne represents the empowerment of all afro German people. She uses her strong voice to sing about her experiences and purposely conveys a positive selfconfidence. By now, the artist who was born in Mombasa/Kenia, is travelling around Europe for the Goethe Institute to pass on her message.

    © Leila Akinyi

    Josefine Gläsner – Medical cosmetician and model
    Josefine can honestly say that she was born into a truly multi-cultural family. Her parents are both from Namibia and their relatives range from oshivambos to Bushmen. At the Africa Festival, she has been a model on the catwalk for Rama Diaw’s collections for years.

     

    © Bugs Steffen
  • 28 Feb

    MEMORIES

    Attention: This is the surrounding-programme for 2018.
    We will publish the programme for 2019 soon.


    Hugh Masekela at the 28th International Afriac Festival | © Günther Klebinger

    Lucky Dube live at the 7th International Africa Festival | © Bugs Steffen

    We would like to take the opportunity and remember those who have characterised the festival but who are no longer with us. Of course the first one to mention is the extraordinary man Nelson Mandela. In 1994 he was elected the first black president of South Africa and already one year later, at the 7th Africa Festival, we were able to show the interesting exhibition “Ezakwantu – bead work from Eastern Cape”. The presentation of the exhibition in Würzburg was the first cultural exchange between the new administration of Mandela and Europe. Nelson Mandela also sent a personal greeting to the festival. In 1996 the Foreign Office assigned the organisers of the Africa Festival to help with the musical programme of the state visit during Nelson Mandela’s first visit to the federal republic. Much to the president’s surprise, he was greeted with local sounds by Miriam Makeba at the park of the Brühl Palaces. We are glad to have met this man – without him the new South Africa wouldn’t have been possible! In 2018 he would have turned 100. Of course we must also name Miriam Makeba “Mama Africa”, the great icon of African music. You could become a part of her unforgettable concerts in the circus tent five times. She performed for the first time at the 8th Africa Festival and for the last time at the 18th Africa Festival when she gave her last official concert here in Würzburg to say farewell to the big concert stages. The previous day her granddaughter Zenzi Makeba Lee was performing for the first time with her grandmother in attendance and for the finale of Mazi’s concert Angeliqué Kidjo and Lokua Kanza paid homage to Makeba and showed her their respect. 10 years ago, on 10 November 2008 the great singer from South Africa passed away. We also want to remember Lucky Dube from South Africa. The great reggae star has been to Würzburg three times. His song “Different Colours - One People“ also became the omnipresent slogan of the festival. Unfortunately he was shot in Johannesburg in the middle of the street on 18 October 2017 at the age of only 41 under unresolved circumstances. Hugh Masekela, who was also from South Africa, captivated the hearts of the festival audience threetimes, in 2000, 2008 and 2016. He received the Africa Fesival “Lifetime Achievement Award 2016”. Two great young artists, who were also politically active, came from the neighbouring country Zimbabwe – they performed at the festival several times. Andy Brown a talented guitar player and his temporary life partner Chiwoniso Maraire who had perfected the art of playing the mbira. He died after a short illness immediately after having turned 50, she passed away tragically at the age of only 37. We also want to be reminiscent of the “King of Congolese rumba“, Papa Wemba from Congo! He performed in Würzburg four times, for the last time in 2011 at the 23rd Africa Festival. With his touching performances he managed to not only capture the hearts of his Congolese fans. With Lobi Traoré, who was known for his almost psychedelic guitar playing, the audience could experience a great Mali blues guitar player in 1996. In 2007, at the 19th Africa Festival, the visitors witnessed Andy Palacio the hero of the Garifuna music from Belize. Unfortunately, they both have also already left us but on our stages were proof of the variety the African music has to offer. We would like to thank everyone that we were able to participate in their music and wisdom, and will have their heritage and message live on at the Africa Festival.

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