Week starting 24th September, London African Music Festival and more....

Hello

As September comes to an end, the days grow shorter, and the weather colder it’s time to keep warm with a Proud to be African hoody, be it with the classic Proud to be African Logo, or the Afrobeat inspired logo or  Born in the UK Made in Africa! Of course the 1^st of October is Nigeria’s Independence Day so a Proud to be Nigerian hoody or sweatshirt won’t go amiss either!

Monday 24^th September

Collaborate for Africa will be meeting from 6.15-8.00pm at Avanta, 48 Charlotte Street, W1T 2NS, the group aims to foster networking amongst groups, organisations or individuals who are interested or working in Africa. This event is FREE

Tuesday 25^th September

At 7.00pm we have Modeste and Amadou Diagne and Griselda Sanderson at the Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7PG.  Malagasy singer song writer/ guitarist blends traditional Malagasy sounds, with South African rhythms, he will be using this event to launch his third album ‘Handeha Hody/ Going Home’. Tickets are £12.00 from here or by calling the Box Office on 0207 485 6834 

Wednesday 26^th September

From 5.00pm to 7.00pm Kayode Akindele OBE, will be at Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, Stratford, E15 1BX, with the Arts of Hand Craft, exhibiting traditional handicrafts from Western Nigeria. This is FREE

Local Voices, Local Change takes place at 6.30pm at 25 Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5AP, hosted by the Royal Commonwealth Society with the support of the Baring Foundation, this Africa focussed panel discussion will look at the role civil society plays in economic and political development and identifies best practice for strengthening community based civil society organisations, it will be followed by a drinks reception. The panel will be chaired by Myles Wickstead CBE (of the Open University) and consist of Mulugeta Gebru (Jerusalem Children and Community Development Organisation), Paul Skidmore (Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative) and Roy Trivedy (Department for International Development). This event is FREE register here

At 7.30pm we have the Yoruba Women’s Choir and Bumi Thomas at Stratford Circus,.  This female gospel choir led by Funmi Olawumi features 10 female soloists and a 6 piece band that combines Nigerian musical traditions with Christian gospel music. The choir consists of Ayinke Martins, Joy Aigbekan, Nike Fagbuaro, Biola Dosumu, Dupe Lawnson, Mary Oguntade, Tinu Adewoye, Biola Ojugbele, Esther Mabadeje, Comfort Oyelumade. The show will be opened by Bumi Thomas and her full band. A brilliant vocal experience all round. Tickets are £15.00 (concessions £12.50), from here or Box Office on 0844 357 2625 

Thursday 27^th September

Between 7.30pm and 9.00pm we have African Dancing with Frititi, a mix of live music and dancing from different cultures from as far afield as Gambia and Zululand. The workshop will teach the history and meaning of dance as well as the sequence of the steps themselves. It takes place at Interchange Studio, Hampstead Town Hall Centre, 321 Haverstoc, NW3 4QP. Tickets are £10.00 in advance and £15.00 on the door.

7.30pm see’s Tony Dudu and The Gumbe Jazz, Upstairs at the Ritzy, Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG. The Guinea Bissau born guitarist will be performing his palop sound with his band fusing West African and South American sounds. Tickets are £10.00, from here, box office on 0207 326 2615

Friday 28^th September

The Monthly London Black Professional Meet and Greet will be taking place between 6.30pm and 10.30pm at the Grace Bar 42-44 Great Windmill Street, Piccadilly, London W1D 7NB. Phone Maks on 07931 939 187 to RSVP, entry is £5.00, so pop along to socialise and network to the with fellow black professionals and live DJ’s

Kicking off from 7.00pm to 1.45pm is the Kalakuta Band- Fela Kuti’s Unheard Afrobeat at The Long Room Bar and Hotel, 130 Mitcham Road, Tooting, London, S17 9NH. This is the beginning of a monthly residency for the 15 piece band led by Emeka Elendu Fela Kuti’s former guitarist. This event is FREE

At 7.30pm we have Rise Kagona the Malawian born former member of the Zimbabwean rock band Bhundu Boys at the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JT. Rise will be playing with his own band The Jit Jive Band, songs from his legendary career mixing Zim styles with Congolese rythyms as well as tracks from his new album. Tickets are £12.50 (£10.00 concessions) from here 

Saturday 29^th September

At 7.00pm, The African Jazz Stars will be performing at the Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7PG. This excellent band returns with their big band funk led by guitarist Lucky Ranku, pianist Adam Glasser, drummer Babwaku Biasonama, percussionist Siemy Di, bassist Femi Sofela, trumpeter Claude Deppa, alto saxophonist Tony Kofi, tenor saxophonist Bukky Leo, baritone saxophonist Greg Bonnoe and vocalist Pinise Saul. If you know African music, you know the pedigree of this group, this is not one to be missed. Tickets are £17.50 (£15.00 concessions) from here or by calling the Box office on 0207 485 6834 

At 9.00pm rounding up the London African Music Festival is Dele Sosimi and the Afrobeat Orchestra with DJ Koichi Sakai at the New Empowering Church, 1a Westgate Street, Hackney, E8 3RL. As former keyboard player and music director for Fela Kuti’s Egypt 80, musical director for Fela! The Musical. For your finest live Afrobeat look no further £8.00 before 10.00pm, £12.00 afterwards and £10.00 in advance from here

  

Also as of 1^st October prices will be increasing slightly due to constantly increasing production and postage costs however, Proud to be African Clothing will still remain the most affordable African themed T shirt on the market

London African Music Festival, Inua Ellams, Native Sun and more

Inua Ellams

Proud to be African Clothing says hello! And welcome to this weeks blogpost, dominated by the London African Music Festival, other notable events are Inua Ellams one man show at Deptford and the Peckham and Nunhead Film Festival. Pick a day and see whats up!

Monday 17^th September

At 7.30pm the London African Music Festival keeps on keeping on with Lucky Ranku, Gary Crosby and Omar Puente at the Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillet Square, N16 8AZ.

If there is a better way to start the week I really don’t know, South African guitarist Lucky Ranku, with bassist Gary Crosby and Cuban violinist Omar Puente join forces for an eclectic musical journey from Africa to the Caribean.  For the first time I think we can say Thank god its Monday!

Tickets are £12.50 (£10.00 concessions) from here. 

The Rain that Washes is a play about a young man’s story of growing up in Zimbabwe, escaping and coming home to betrayal, this is based on the true story of Christopher Maphosa. Showing at 7.00pm the Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX, the run is from 17^th September to 3^rd October. Tickets are £12.00 (£10.00 concessions) from here. 

Tuesday 18^th September

From 6.00pm to 9.00pm we have the 2012 Stephen Lawrence Memorial Lecture at Royal Institute of British Architecture (RIBA), 66 Portland Place, Paddington, W1B 1AD delivered by Gold Medal winning engineer and academic Professor Chris Wise. The lecture will be chaired by John Thompson chairman of John Thompson and Partners, with the welcome address by RIBA’s CEO Harry Rich.

Professor Wise’s lecture will delve into the ‘Ripple Effect’ which focuses on supporting fledgling architects and future pioneers in engineering and design. The Stephen Lawrence Trust’s bursary programme aims to help young people in the UK and internationally to achieve their ambitions of working in construction, design and architecture. Other professions such as medicine, law, financial services, media and housing are also covered.

There are limited tickets for this VERY important lecture, its only £5.00 for students and £15.00 for others from here. Not to be missed  

At 7.30pm we have another gem of gems, with distinguished Senegalese kora player Diabel Cissokho at Vortex Jazz Club. Having played with such luminaries as Baaba Maal, Kandia Kouyate, Pee Wee Ellis, Nuru Kane and many more as well as his sublime collaboration with Ramon Goose. He will be playing with his band tracks from his new CD ‘Kanabory Siyama’, the sound of the kora is the sound of heaven, so for an angelic experience get yourself down there, tickets are £12.50 (£10.00 concessions) from here, box office on 0207 254 4097

Wednesday 19^th September 

At 7.30pm at the Vortex Jazz Club we have Nigerian vocalist Ayinke Martins of The Yoruba Womens Choir and British pianist Sara McGuiness of Congolese/ Cuban ensemble Grupo Lokito creating a unique sound from their varied experiences with a genre ranging series of compositions. They’ll be backed by Congolese guitarist Limozine Kabange, Nigerian bassist Femi Sofela, Cuban drummer Michael Castellanos, Colombian percussionist Emeris Solis and Nigeria percussionist Taiye Ajiboye. Tickets are £12.50 (£10.00 concessions).

At 7.30pm at Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, Stratford, E15 1BX we have the Master Drummers of Africa one of the most awesome displays of drumming and percussion going. 10 drummers from 10 African countries drawing on 3000 years of tribal rhythms. This is the first performance in London for 2 years fro this drum orchestra drawing on their new suite ‘Thunder and Lightning’. Not to be missed! Tickets are £15.00 (£12.50 concessions). Box office 0844 357 2625 or website. 

Thursday 20^th September

At 7.00pm LERECA will be holding their Apero at GILT Bar, 14 New London Street, EC3R 7NA, this event is dedicated to the elevator pitch and marketing tools for your company and business. In the elevator pitch session attendees will have 1 minute to introduce your project. In the Networking Session you do what it says on the tin, network! This is a FREE event, RSVP by calling Samantha on 0787 989 2536

Between 7.30pm and 9.00pm there is Dancing with Frititi, at the Interchange Studios Hampstead Town Hall Centre, 321 Haverstock, NW3 4QP, this workshop combines live music and dance. Here will be drums and percussionists covering the history and meaning of dance. Tickets are £10.00 in advance and £15.00 24 hours in advance from here.

At 7.30pm Ska Cubano will be bringing their mix of Jamaican rhythm and Cuban bass to Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, Stratford, E15 1BX, with DJ sets by DJ Chris Tofu, this is another danceable evening, tickets are £15.00 (£12.50 concessions) , box office 0844 357 2625 or online.

Also at 7.30pm we have Ethiopian group Krar Collective at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, E1 6LA. They take their name from the 6 stringed harp played by Zeleke with which they give traditional Ethiopian music a modern funk alongside vocalist Genet Assefa, vibraphonist Mulatu Astatke, drummer Amare and they are led by Temesegen Tareken accompanied by a troupe of Ethiopian dancers this is not to be missed, tickets are £15.00 (concessions £12.50)

Between 8.00pm and 1.00am the Focus Organisation presents London hip hop, afrobeat duo Native Sun will be performing live at the Bedroom Bar, 62 Rivington Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3AY. The duo of Mozambican rapper Mohammed Yahya and singer/ songwriter Sarina Leah will feature songs from their debut album Indigenous Sounds and will be joined by Focus DJ’s and KMT Freedom Teacher. As well as all of this there is an awesome line up of creatives supporting, spoken word artist Amen Noir, Nigerian jazz/folk/soul/ acoustic singer/ songwriter Bumi Thomas (yes I know thats alot of slashes!!), digital media production crew Global Faction, performance poet Kat Francois and dancer Sir Loui. All this for £5.00 from here!! 

Friday 21^st September  

At 7.30pm our good friend Inua Ellams performs his one man show Knights Watch on the rooftop of Deptford Lounge, 9 Giffin Street, Deptford, SE8 4RJ. This spoken word theatre accompanied by drummer Aki Fujimoto and flautist Mikey Kirkpatrick tells the story of Michael trapped in his stone mountain tower blocks inhabited by warring gangs that he tries to steer clear of but keeps getting inexorably drawn into. This is a fascinating show, tickets are only (only!) £10.00 from here. Live music follows the close. 

Another 7.30pm performances, at Stratford Circus we have Mad Professor and Dub Me Crazy Africa Band consisting of Nigerian talking drummer Wale Ogungbe, Senegalese kora master Djabel Cissoko to name a few. Catch the Mad Professors show for £15.00 (£12.50 concessions), box office 0844 357 2625 or check online. 

The Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, Camden Town, London, NW1 7PG hosts Carmen Souza at 7.00pm as part of the London African Music Festival. The Lisbon born Cape Verdean singer will be singing traditional Cape Verdean moma and batuco songs in Creole as well as Portuguese. Tickets are £17.50 (£15.00 concessions), from here 

At 7.30pm, Upstairs at the Ritzy, Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG, we have Amira Kheir and Minn Diarabi. The Sudanese-Italian vocalist combines traditional Sudanese vocals and instrumentation with jazz, soul, African and Middle Eastern music. Senegalese blues outfit Minn Diarabi is led by Abdoulaye Samb and draws from the Fula musical tradition combined with rumba, Afro Latin, Mbalax and deep blues. All this for just £10.00 from here! 

Finally we have Sensual Ecstatic Conscious Clubbing Chocolate Experience at the Africa Centre at 7.30pm, the evening consists of a chill out area, chocolate food treats, as well as ecstatic radiant DJ’s. Tickets are £12.00 in advance from here and £15.00 on the door

Saturday 22^nd September

Born in the UK Made in Jamaica

From 12.00pm to 4.00am there is Welcome to Busseywood, a FREE marathon film and music festival. As part of the Peckham and Nunhead Film Festival this will be held over the 3 floors of the CLF Art Cafe, 133 Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST. Floor 1 runs from 12.30pm to 9.30pm and is themed Cafe Cinema and is dedicated to Cafes and bars on screen. Floor 2 is the Peckham Film Open, dedicated to short films from Peckham and around the globe and Floor 3 is Jamaica 50, with Jamaican music, poetry, documentaries and films with dub records played by DJ’s after 12.00am. again all FREE, take a look at the schedule for more detail and see you there!

Seminar in London: African Diaspora in development of their home countries, seeks to introduce African diaspora organisations and individuals to the pathways, methods and opportunities they can use to contribute to Africas development. The seminar will take place at London Centre For Social Impact, 18 Victoria Park Square, E2 9PB from 1.30pm to 5.30pm and costs £60.00 from here

At 6.45pm at the Africa Centre there is the United Somali Students Fundraiser, aiming to raise money to sponsor students across Somalia. This is an open mic event for the United Somali Students charity Teach Somalia. Tickets are £8.00, they can be reserved by emailing 

The Congo All Stars grace the Jazz Cafe with their presence at 7.00pm. This band will be distilling Congolese rumba with leader and vocalist Koko Kanyinda accompanied by rappers, singers and rhythm section. Tickets are £17.50 (£15.00 concessions) from here. 

Electric Jalaba features at Hackney Attic, 270 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 1HE at 7.30pm. The band is steeped in Moroccan Gnawa musical tradition. Vocallist Simo Lagnawi will take you on a voyage through psychedelic Gnawa funk. Ticket are £10.00 from here. 

Sunday 23^rd September

7.30pm sees Funmi Olawumi at Ronnie Scott’s Club, 47 Erith Street, London, W1V 4HT, with her Faaji Music combining traditional and contemporary Yoruba music traditions from fuji, highlife to afrobeat. She performs with her 12 piece band including The Naija Soul Sisters. Tickets are £25.00 to £40.00 from here. 

London African Music Festival and Imperial Wharf Jazz Festival

Hi Everybody!

Ladies T shirts

This is the week for music! The London African Music Festival is upon us! Oh yes, 2 weeks of the finest African Music going starts on Friday and Proud to be African Clothing will be there to take it all in. We have musicians from Nigeria, Ghana, Cape Verde and Mali, there is also the Imperial Wharf Jazz Festival.

Monday 10^th September

At 7.00pm we have Kayo Chingoyi: Africa is a Continent at the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, WC2E 8JT. This Celebration of African Diaspora Literature curated and hosted by Zambian author Kayo Chingoyi, with Belinda Zhawi a 21 year old Zimbabwean writer, Sam Elmi a Somali poet and playwright, Kenyan/ Somali Warsan Shire London based poet and writer and Nick Makoha Ugandan writer. Book here. 

Thursday 13^th September

At 7.00pm we have Cleveland Watkiss: Vocal Improvisations at the Africa Centre. The virtuoso jazz artist will be giving holding a singing workshop followed by a concert. Open to people of all singing abilities, this is the place to come if there is a burgeoning singer in you fighting to get out! Tickets for the Concert and workshop are £15.00 (£10.00 concessions) and for the concert alone £9.00 (£7.00 concessions) from here.  

We have a Jazz festival!! The Imperial Wharf Jazz Festival kicks off from 6.00pm to 10.00pm at The Boulevard, Imperial Wharf, London, SW6 2QD. Kicking off this FREE festival is the incomparable Courtney Pine and Abimaro and The Free. More details from the website.

Friday 14^th September

Born in the USA Made in Africa

The UgandaInvest London 2012 Forum “Commemorating 50 Years of Independence” starts at 9.00am to 5.00pm at The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, W1J 8T.  This Forum seeks to promote opportunities for investors in key sectors of the Ugandan economy.  There are a limited number of FREE complimentary tickets available from here.

At 6.30pm US Comedian Kevin Hart comes to The O2 (yes its got its name back!!), Peninsula Square, SE10 0DX. The pint sized comedian as well known for his stand up routine as well as his roles in Soul Plane, 40 Year Old Virgin, Think like a Man and many more will be rounding up his latest tour here in the UK. Tickets are from £35.25-£49.75 from here

The London African Music Festival begins at 7.30pm with Yaaba Funk and DJ Chief Commander Yaaba at the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JT. For the uninitiated, Yabba Funk was formed in 2006 combining 70’s Naija Funk, Hi Life, reggae, Brazilian grooves, broken beat and Cuban rumba. This is afro funk at its finest so if your looking for fantastic bass lines, awesome guitar riffs and blaring horns, get your self down to Africa Centre. Tickets are £10.00 and can be brought from here 

Just in case you thought that was it at 7.30pm we also have Jumoke Fashola at Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillett Square, N16 8AZ. This Nigerian Afro-soul/ Jazz singer has performd with Dionne Warwick, the Royal Ballet, Bobby McFerrin, appeared on stage in countless musicals and is a staple of the London Jazz circuit, she will be performing with her live band with pianist Simon Wallace, bassist Oli Hayhurst and drummer Winston Clifford. All of this for £12.50 (£10.00 concessions) from here.

Saturday 15^th September

At 8.00am the 2nd Ugandan UK Convention kicks off as part of Uganda’s Golden Jubilee at the Troxy Arena, 490 Commercial Road, E1 0HX. The convention will take place at consist of an Investment Expo, Fashion Show and After Party

The Ugandan Diaspora Investment Expo kicks off at 9.00am, with the Ugandan Vice President the Rt. Hon Edward Ssekandi as Guest of Honour. This event is billed as the premier learning platform for those seeking to invest in Uganda, there will be workshops and opportunities to network and build partnerships. Speakers include The Rt Hon Rebecca Kadaga (Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament), Baroness Lynda Chalker, Hon Daudi Migereko (Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development), Mr Elly Karuhanga (President, Tullow Oil Uganda), Mr M Kigozi, Eric Guichard, Her Excellency Joan Rwabyomere (Uganda High Commissioner to the UK), Jennifer S. Musisi (Kampal City Authority), Dr Andrew Ggunga Seguya (Uganda Wildlife Authority) and many more.

The After Party kicks off at 6.00pm featuring Bobi Wine and Firebase Crew, Judith Babirye, Iryn Namubiru, Nayio, AcdArts and the Crackers Comedians. RSVP by emailing or phoning 020 7237 7317 or 07426 201 055. The Conference is FREE although the after party ranges from £25.00 to £300.00, from here and here

The Imperial Wharf Jazz Festival continues today at 1.00pm at The Boulevard, Imperial Wharf, London, SW6 2QD. with a super funky line up of super stars the Hackney Colliery Band, The Cuban Jazz Band Project, Matthew Halsall, John Etheridge and Christian Garrick, YolanDa Brown, The Lucinda Bell Orchestra and Omar. And again;

All.

This.

For.

FREE!!!!!! Running till 10.00pm this is not one to be missed by the jazz fans out there.

Proud to be Ghanaian

From 1.00pm till late we have Ghana Party in the Park at Barnet FC Underhill Stadium, Westcombe Drive, Barnet, EN5 2DN. The day consists of music, cultural dancers, Durbar of Chiefs, fashion shows, football, children activities, arts and crafts stalls and of course freshly cooked traditional food. This is a fun filled family friendly day with thousands of visitors

At 5.00pm is the Afro Global Network Professional Networking Business Mixer at the Kingsway Hall Hotel, 66 Queen Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2B 5BX. This event is in support of Spread-A-Smile Foundation which operates in Southern Africa, if you bring a gift for donation tickets are £5.00 without a gift tickets are £10.00. From 10.30pm till 3.00am there will be  a Post Networking Drinks and Cocktails at Kanaloa Club. Purchase tickets here.

At the Africa Centre at 6.30pm we have Africa Fine Dining. An evening of delicious Ghanaian fusion food, washed down with Ghanaian beer by Ghanaian Catering firm Jollof Pot. Tickets are £37.00, an ideal evening out with family or colleagues. Book here

For you Afrobeat people whose bodies have been disturbing them to dance oya relax, because we have Bukky Leo and Black Egypt at 7.30pm at the Vortex Jazz Club. Yes that’s right the tenor saxophonist will be smashing out his Afrobeat and Afrocentric jazz backed up by bassist Dennis Stanley, guitarist Chris Lamptey, our friend percussionist Olatunde Richard Baker, drummer Saleem Raman, trombonist Trevor Edwards and vocalist Yeukai Makoni. Tickets for this little slice of awesome are £12.50 (£10.00 concessions) from the website.

Also at 7.30pm Ghanaian vocalist Alfa Sackey and Afrik Bawantu will be performing at Hackney Attic, 270 Mare Street, Hackney, E8 1HE. This combination of Afrobeat with traditional Ghanaian music has wowed crowds from Finland, Ghana, Nigeria, Israel and Italy to name a few. You can see this 12 piece orchestra for a mere £10.00 with tickets from here. 

Sunday 16^th September

At the Africa Centre we have the Sunday Movie Heremakono-Waiting for Happiness from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. This 2002 Mauritanian film is set between the Sahara and the Sea and follows the lives of several characters in the coastal city of Nouadhibou as they wait to travel to Europe. Caught between African and Western cultures, young Abdallah has come to visit his mother before moving on to Europe. RSVP for this FREE event here

Proud to be South African

Our friends at Mwalimu Express have returned from summer break and they are taking us to Freetown, Sierra Leone! Running from 2.00pm to 6.00pm at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA. Live on Stage will be Sierra Leonean musician Abdul Tee-Jay performing his guitar driven reworkings of Palm wine music a heady mix of Afrobeat and High Life. In addition there will be Lucy Angell John’s Parent and Toddler dance sessions, stalls, Oware games, tunes by DJ’s Rita Ray (yay) and Max Reinhardt ending up with a screening of Reel Lives Sierra Leone starring musician Usifu Jalloh on a journey through a day in the life of Freetown children. This is the only FREE African family event in London so come down and chillax.

Africa Express, The Kalakutans and more!!

Hi everybody.

Trust the week, Paralympics and life in general are treating you well. Many groovy events this week and weekend, with Africa Express, Dark Sea Scrolls and the Kalakutans.

Tuesday 4^th September Paralympics Day 6

From 6.30pm till 10.00pm we have Free Yuhself at the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JT. Curated by Attillah Springer this night of music, and poetry celebrates Trinidad and Tobago’s 50 years of independence. Featured artists include Nicholai LaBarrie and Mangoseed, Abdul Malik and a video installation by Neigeme Glasgow-Maeda. Tickets are 35.00 (£3.00 concessions) from here

Thursday 6^th September Paralympics Day 8

At 9.00pm Open the Gate presents Fenomeno Show and Samurai at Hootananny Brixton, 95 Effra Road, Brixton, SW2 1DF. Running till midnight the show features Miss Fritty, Deadly Hunta alongside residents Jah Revelation Muzik, Cecil Reuben, MC Trooper and Brother Culture. For details of this FREE event, check here

Friday 7^th September Paralympics Day 9

At 6.00pm the African Caribbean Entrepreneurs Network (ACE) will be holding a networking event at Unltd, 123 Whitecross Street, EC1Y 8JJ. Based on the theme ‘Launching a business’, there will be guest speakers from Barclays Bank and 2 businesses will be launched, FOBO (Food of Black Origin) a smartphone app and ACNetworksUK.com, an online social and business networking media platform, RSVP by emailing.

At 7.00pm Shattered Hearts  a new Nollywood movie will have its UK première at the Odeon IMAX Cinema, Bugsby Way, Greenwich, London SE10 0QJ. Written and produced by Tolulope Yesufu and directed by Lanre Balogun, it stars Theodora Ibekwe,Fatima Jabbe, Anthony Mojaro, Lanre Balogun, Tunji Sotimirin, Tolu Yesufu, Rita Edochie,  Amour Owolabi, Titi Jacobs – Aseroma, Helen Osabutey,  Tope Brass and many more. 

At 7.00pm Dark Sea Scrolls present another instalment of Word, Power and Sound at the Centreprise Bookshop, 136 Kingsland High Street, Dalston, E8 2NS. Hosted by El Crisis, featured artists include TuggStar, Comfort, Majical, NimRock, Redhed Qi, Ray Carless, AnkhAmunet and Raggo Zulu Rebel. There will also bestalls, drummers and musicians and an Open Mic slot. Tickets are £6.00 before 7.30pm and £8.00 after. Call 07574729359 or email for more details 

At 7.30pm we have The Kalakutans at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA an Afrobeat play by Lekan Babalola with music by Tony Allen. Set in Fela’s Kalakuta Republic in 1977, it revolves around the stories of 4 characters and the events leading up to the burning down of Fela’s house and the brutalization of the occupants, tickets are £8.00 (£5.00 concessions) from here

Saturday 8^th September Paralympics Day 10

At 7.30pm the IRIE! Drummers will be launching ‘The Power of the Drum’, a new performance featuring African and Caribbean drumming at the Moonshot Centre, Fordham Park, Angus Street, New Cross, SE14 6LU. The 5 drummers in the collective will take the audience on an uplifting musical journey with the traditional and contemporary sounds of Cameroon, Jamaica, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Tickets are £5.00 in advance from here or £7.00 on the door

At 8.00pm the Africa Express comes to London! Started up 6 years ago having performed everywhere from Spain to Nigeria this collective of African and Western musicians will be coming to Granary Square, Goodsway, Kings Cross,  N1C 4AA. The line up consists of

Damon Albarn, Tony Allen, Amadou and Mariam, Baaba Maal, Baloji, Carl Barât, Bassekou Kouyate, Hatim Bensalha (H-Kayne), Afel Bocoum, Charli XCX, Toumani Diabate, Fatoumata Diawara, Nicolas Jaar, Jack Steadman (Bombay Bicycle Club), Jupiter & Okwess International, Kano, Krar Collective, Kyla La Grange, M1 (Dead Prez), M.anifest, Spoek Mathambo, John McClure (Reverend and the Makers), Noisettes, Nneka, The Temper Trap, Marques Toliver, Rokia Traoré, The Very Best (Soundsystem), Rizzle Kicks, Afrikan Boy and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah. Tickets are £20.00 (only!! For all this?!) buy them from here.

Sunday 9^th September Paralympics Day 11

At 2.00pm at the Africa Centre is a film screening of U-Carmen, a South African interpretation of Bizet’s opera set in a South African township, with music from South African performing arts company Dimpho Di Kopane as well as the original score, this fascinating film showcases the est of South African talent. Book your tickets from here to RSVP for this FREE event.

From 6.00pm to 10.00pm the Igbo Cultural Support Network will be holding its general meeting at The Fleetwood, 36 Wilson Street, London, EC2M 2TE. There will be a short talk about the signbificance of the New Yam Festival, The Mayor of Enfield Kate Anolue will be discussing the Mayors Charity Appeal, open mic performances by Chinedu Anonam and the precocious young author of  Chibundu Onuzo will discuss her book The Spider King's Daughter