Africa Oye 2007
Liverpool's excellent free Africa Oye festival takes place this weekend (16 and 17 June 2007).
Africa Oyé – the UK’s largest free African music festival – returns to Liverpool’s Sefton Park on 16 and 17 June 2007. Now celebrating its 14th year, the event has attracted a wealth of international stars to Merseyside, looking to make Africa Oyé 2007 the most spectacular yet. The family-friendly celebration of cultural diversity has become an annual must-see in Liverpool’s social calendar
Performing this year are the unique and glorious Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective from Belize in Central America, Papa Noel who brings with him the Cuban Rumba sounds Bana Congo who are all great Cuban musicians, Congolese all-star rumba outfit Odemba OK Jazz All Stars , Senegalese singer Daby Balde , UK-based Cuban/ Jamaican outfit Ska Cubano , Salsa band LA 33 from Bogota in Colombia, Jamaican reggae group Culture , Congolese guitarist Fiston Lusambo , Senegalese groups Abdou Diop & The Aynoobe Group and Mellokaan as well as Senegalese solo guitarists Conta Diouf and Ibrahima Ndiaya .
2006 saw 40,000 people in attendance for the weekend, and organisers believe that this year is set to draw even bigger crowds, taking in the the finest African music, dance and performance.
In its 14-year history, Africa Oyé has played host to artists from Benin, South Africa, DR Congo, Guinea, Lesotho, Somalia, to name but a few. Its organisers say: “Africa Oyé concentrates on portraying the continent in a positive way. There are too many stories of war, AIDS, poverty, and famine. We wish to concentrate on the incredible range of musicians and artists who hail from the continent.’’
The festival takes place in the beautiful Sefton Park in Liverpool, 1pm-9.30pm on Saturday and 1pm-7.30pm on Sunday. Admission is free.