Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, July 2009

This international festival celebrates African culture and music.

I don’t usually copy press releases, but their site is black background with white typeface and I can’t read that without getting a major migraine. Just the few seconds it took to get the press release has set my eyes off (I wish designers would take that into account – I’m not the only migraineur who is set off by that type of design).

Anyway, it sounds like a great party and the festival runs from July 14 to July 26. There are free shows and inexpensive shows (as cheap as 10.00), so it’s best to go to the site to check out what they have.

4 DAYS OF FREE SHOWS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

On July 23, 24, 25 and 26, say goodbye to Place Émilie-Gamelin (between de Maisonneuve, Berri, Ste. Catherine and St. Hubert) and say hello to the Village des Nuits d’Afrique, with an atmosphere found nowhere else besides Africa, the Caribbean or Latin America, an effervescent spot where you can chat for the fun of it with merchants at the Marché Tombouctou, competing ingeniously to sells their trinkets, percussion instruments and traditional beauty products and jewels. It’s a friendly place where you can sit at café tables or on the grass for an informal meal, enjoying grilled chicken with yassa sauce (a typical Senegalese dish), spicy Jamaican-style jerk beef, or ice cream in exotic flavours.

In the meantime, here is the latest press release from the organization:

With more than 50 indoor shows and, on the outdoor stage, nearly 500 singers, dancers and musicians from 29 different countries stirring up various cultures and reinventing Culture, the 2009 crop at the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique has plenty of surprises in store.

INDOOR SHOWS

Grands événements series
The indispensable names synonymous with success on the international world music scene.

A rebel at heart, Sergent Garcia (France / Spain) has invented his own musical style, salsamuffin, a mix of Latino and urban sounds and his words of commitment. A leading group on the oriental rock scene for the nearly 15 years, the Orchestre National de Barbès (France / Algeria / Morocco) mirrors the quirky Paris neighbourhood they get their name from. “Oriental Roots”, the title of the latest opus by Jimmy Oihid (Algeria) says plenty about his musical intentions: an explosive blend of chaâbi, gnawa, Arab-Andalusian, R&B, funk and reggae. There’s no further need to present Kassav’ (Martinique / Guadeloupe): the inventor of zouk, which has revolutionized the idea of celebration, is celebrating the 30th year of its own career.

Grande première series
Despite their fame, talent and prestige, these groups have never before performed in Montreal.

The Umalali project (Belize) features traditional Garifuna women’s song, interspersed with touches of jazz, funk, rock and blues. The music of Novalima (Peru) is anchored in their roots and coloured with reggae, Afrobeat, son, hip-hop and salsa

Prédilection series
They show real affection for Montreal, and Montreal reciprocates. It is always a pleasure to see them back on stage.
Accompanied by Djely Mory Tounkara, Balla Tounkara (Mali) plays and outplays his kora, giving a new look to the rhythms of his native country with notes of jazz, funk and reggae. The revelation of the 2004 festival, Maria de Barros (Cape Verde) adds sunshine to Cape Verdean music with a fresh and sensual interpretation, bathed in the soul of the traditional morna and coladeira.

Découvertes series
They are the new generation of world music. Their offerings are enlivened by the fervour of the first big experiences.

Influenced by their origins and by Marseille’s cultural mosaic, the members of Watcha Clan (Algeria/ France / Morocco) skilfully blends Algerian chaâbi, electronic styles, hip-hop and East European rhythms. One is a banjo player and the other is a griot and kora virtuoso; music has brought together Jayme Stone (Ontario) and Mansa Sissokho (Mali). South African folk, pop, blues and jazz, all mixed with rock: the music of FreshlyGround (South Africa) mirrors the group’s members, modern and intermingled.

Rythmes d’ailleurs, gens d’ici series
The local world music scene is both fertile and dazzlingly dynamic. The Festival International Nuits d’Afrique is the event for these artists brimming with talent.

Neev (Morocco / Qubec) immerses its music in its rich East-West culture. The 2009 world music Syli d’Or, Aboulaye Koné and Bolokan (Côte d’Ivoire / Quebec) explore West African music in all its variants. A touch of jazz, a touch of classical and Caribbean beats, with Makaya Jazz (Haiti / Quebec), the notes of the scale are conjugated in a symphony of colour. The distinct sound of Intakto (Chile / Quebec) fluctuates between Nordic intensity and Latin exaltation, between the rigour of tradition and the freedom of creation. Linked by their warm voices and intermingled rhythms, Joanne Griffith (West Indies / Quebec) and Empress Deeqa (Somalia / Quebec) share a special evening. “Women’s rhythms”, Serer beats, Wolof sounds, Fouta ambiance and traditional instruments form the heart of the resolutely acoustic music of Oumar Ndiaye Xosluman (Senegal / Quebec). Juggling traditional Brazilian music, reggae, funk and African musical forms, Rommel Ribeiro (Brazil / Ontario) amazes with his unique style.

It’s worth noting that the offerings of some artists in this series are being presented at the festival following the outstanding performances they gave as part of the 3rd edition of the world music Syli d’Or, which aims to be the sole musical distinction created for world music artists in Montreal. They are: Aboulaye Koné and Bolokan percussions (Syli d’Or), Oumar Ndiaye Xosluman (Syli d’Argent), Xlim (Syli de Bronze) and Neev (Syli d’Honneur)

Les Étoiles Nuits d’Afrique – the meeting-place for night-time concerts

During these first-time exploratory gatherings, Taafé Fanga (West Africa / Quebec) is inviting several groups of different origins to share its repertory of traditional song, colourful beats and fiery dances.

Taafé Fanga, with Habana Café (Cuba / Quebec), will go back to the African roots of Cuban music. With Estacao Da Luz (Brazil / Quebec), festival-goers will have a chance to experience one of the world’s most powerful mixes of percussion sounds. With Laeticia Zonzambé (Central African Republic / Quebec), it will be proven that traditional African rhythms lie at the heart of modern beats. Oumar Ndiaye Xosluman will help make this a 100% Mandinko gathering, with traditional instruments in a place of honour.

A gift of this special series is the unusual meeting of Tapa Diarra and Balla Tounkara (Mali / Quebec), two griots entrusted with the histories of their respective families and thus of a major cultural slice of Mali.

Taafé Fanga will close this series – and the festival – with a performance as impressive as it is energizing, blending kora, balafon, song, djembés and doundouns in an effervescence of sound to modern arrangements.

These six special evenings, made possible by support from the Canada Council for the Arts and TV5, are free for anyone holding a ticket to the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique 2009.

4 DAYS OF FREE SHOWS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

On July 23, 24, 25 and 26, say goodbye to Place Émilie-Gamelin (between de Maisonneuve, Berri, Ste. Catherine and St. Hubert) and say hello to the Village des Nuits d’Afrique, with an atmosphere found nowhere else besides Africa, the Caribbean or Latin America, an effervescent spot where you can chat for the fun of it with merchants at the Marché Tombouctou, competing ingeniously to sells their trinkets, percussion instruments and traditional beauty products and jewels. It’s a friendly place where you can sit at café tables or on the grass for an informal meal, enjoying grilled chicken with yassa sauce (a typical Senegalese dish), spicy Jamaican-style jerk beef, or ice cream in exotic flavours.

Above all, it is a sort of cultural melting-pot where you can sing and dance non-stop with artists from all over who, one after another, fill the Loto-Québec main stage for assorted shows and workshops.

There’s something new this year: a whole new series you can discover at the Loto-Québec main stage, “Nuits d’Afrique sous les Etoiles”.

The fame achieved by the outdoor programming of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique over the years, especially with the lengthening of this major portion of the festival, has led Les Productions Nuits d’Afrique to create a concert series that forms an artistic counterpart to the indoor “Grands événements” series. The result is the “Nuits d’Afrique sous les Etoiles” series, featuring top-flight international artists, the indispensable sure bets, as well as new discoveries who are being talked about worldwide.

On the program in their first edition: three “Coup de Cœur” groups whose identity will be revealed at a suitable time and place: the typically Guadaloupean sound of the drums of K’Koustik, the Cuban son beats of Anacaona from Cuba, a dynasty of female musicians who have been heating up stages for 80 years, and Tchè Kreyol, a troupe of 40 young performers from Martinique who have been delighting audiences with their spontaneity, talent and explosion of colour that seduce one and all, as well as the “Carré Mandingue” special event (a meeting of the artists from West Africa).

Also not to be missed is the Montréal Multicolore tent, which will delight the very young. Under the magic make-up brush of Allison (West Indies), children will become multi-coloured flowers or the lion king of the jungle. The pretty designs, inspired by African tales or the animals of the savannah, will be displayed before the eyes of all festival-goers.

Finally, last year’s big success, the Loto-Québec Agor’Afrique, is back! Between each show, this friendly spot offers a chance to get more involved in African culture with workshops providing an initiation to African music and traditional song, as well as artists’ signing sessions and an exhibition of select photos.

For further information on shows, activities, tickets and packages: www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com
Telephone: 514 499-FINA (3462)

info @ festivalnuitsdafrique.com