Africa Festival in Eurofrica

8/14/2019 Africa Festival in Eurofrica

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AFRICA FESTIVAL IN EUROFRICA

By

Akinyi Princess of K’Orinda-Yimbo

this year’s motto was Brazil’s African culture and music

The Africa Festival which has been taking place for 19 years in the city of Wuerzburg has become Europe’s biggest festival for African music and culture. According to the organisers,

in the last 19 years more than 1.300.000 visitors from Germany and other foreign countries

came to the Festival in Europe to witness the cultural wealth of Africa and to participate in

Africa’s zest for life. Because of its great success in Germany, the Africa Festival has now

found a few copiers of varying quality, whom the Africa Festival distances themselves from

by licensing the name and logo depicted in the two dancing figures. In future this guarantees

the high quality in music and background programmes. Since its beginning, the festival has

yearly invited at least one international African musician such as Miriam Makeba, Papa

Wemba, Yussour N’Dor, Kadija and so on.



”This year, a country was in the centre of attention that is famous for its music and love

of life all over the world: Brazil. Who wouldn't know the colourful samba groups to beseen on TV every year? However, apart from music, love of life and the special flair of theBrazilian Carnival, we ought not to forget how this music came to Brazil. Millions of African slaves were transported to Brazil under cruel circumstances, bringing along theirrhythms and melodies. We should remember that, when applauding the stars of Brazilianmusic today,” the organisers maintained. The Festival is always open from 10.00am to10.00pm in the 2nd week of May each year.



drums, fertility sculptures and masks

Apart from the Brazilian music, visitors were treated in the four-day-long festival to comealong on a musical journey through the African continent. To meet bands and musiciansfrom Guinea, Senegal, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, the Cape Verdian Islands, Mauritius,and Reunion – with numerous promising young musicians, many of whom make theirfirst appearances in Germany! Not to forget introducing a new country on Africa's musicalmap: "Reggae from Germany ". Brothers’ Keepers and Sisters’ Keepers as well:

“Excellent reggae riddims do not necessarily come from Jamaica.”





Bedouin paintings and handcraft



even imitation “Christ” draws the crowd with and African robe and a Kente cloth over the shoulder



reality, not “racism”



Madagascan cutlery made of tortoiseshell



sculptures next to cloth material and colourful amber beads



whether blond or brunette….



beauty is in the hands of the African hairdresser



enchanting potential buyers with a simple African hand music instrument



Moroccan furniture made of wood and mother of pearl



Cloths, wood carvings, sculptures, wooden stools



deciding which meadows street to follow in the bazaar

Apart from music was the African bazaar in the sprawling walled-in meadows streetsselling everything from Kente cloth to African hairdos, tortoiseshell cutlery fromMadagascar to Egyptian trinkets, sculptures from Kenya and Tanzania plus all the culinarydelights from injera to foufou, pilau and nyama choma, chapattis and stewed meat, ugali

and matoke with tilapia cooked in coconut milk!



Even the kiddies had their own corner of the meadows with various tents where there

were clowns and storytellers reciting African fairy tales and children’s stories, Africanproverbs and poetry, crayon and watercolour painting workshops.

Children under the age of 12 had free entrance. And the beauty of this festival is thatanybody from any corner of the world can apply to participate as an artist or art dealer orcurious tourist under www.africafestival.org

http://www.africafestival.org/

http://www.africafestival.org/



AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

“The city of Wuerzburg has given permission to extend the opening hours of the Festival’sHavanna Club to 3 o'clock in the morning. We kindly ask all our guests to then leavequietly. In order to make sure that everybody has a good time at the festival and feelssafe, we reserve the right to deny drunken and obnoxious guests admittance to thefestival ground. The Festival has always been known for being a peaceful festival andwe would like to keep it as such. There will be a cab stand at the main entrance of thefestival. Please do not drink and drive….”

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Africa Festival in Eurofrica