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