Afrovibes Festival, Ice Prince, Nigeria Independence Day

Kedu, Sannu, Eka Ro. I’ll start off with a massive Happy Independence Day to the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Proud to be African Clothing. 52 years is not easy, may the labours of our heroes past never be in vain.

Again a massively busy week, as Black History Month kicks off, a wide plethora of events to pick from below

Monday 1st October Nigeria Independence Day

The Afrovibes Festival is a festival of poetry, theatre, dance, films, talks and Music from South Africa. It is spread across the albany and Stratford Circus, with a Township Cafe in The Albany with South African food and music. As part of the Festival the  poet and photographer Raymond Antrobus will be exhibiting his works at The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford, SE8 4AG documenting his experiences travelling through South Africa for 3 months through photographs, poems and personal journals. This exhibition is FREE and runs till Sunday 7^th October

The Igbo Cultural Support Network will be starting Igbo lessons at the Igbo Language School this Monday from 7.00pm to 9.00pm at Holborn, so if you wish to learn your kedus and odimmas, email for more details. 

The Afrovibes Festival 2012 begins its London shows with Mother to Mother at 7.30pm at The Albany. The play is based on Sindiwe Magona’s novel about an American Fulbright Scholar senselessly killed in a Cape Town  township. In an imaginary conversation between Amy’s mother and one of the youths parents, the event is relived and rationalised. Performed by South African actress Thembi Mtshali-Jones. Tickets are £8.00- £12.00 from here

Tuesday 2^nd October

Proud to be South African

At 2.00pm at The Albany there is a Vocal Clinic with vocalist Eska Mtungwazi and South African dancer Sonia Radebe to extend your voice through movement. This FREE session is designed for vocalists and performers who want to improve their voices individually or as part of a chorus.

At 6.00pm there are South African Film Shorts curated by the New Black Film Network at The Albany. There are three 25 minute films; The Unseen Ones is a musical documentary following artist Leagan Davids living and working in the Wesbank/ Delft township, then Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty, a documentary about agrarian reform and land ownership in South Africa and Mwansa The Great, a story about an 8 year old boy who embarks on a fantastical journey to prove his greatness. These viewings are FREE

At 7.30pm we have another instalment of Mother to Mother at The Albany. The play is based on Sindiwe Magona’s novel about an American Fulbright Scholar senselessly killed in a Cape Town township. In an imaginary conversation between Amy’s mother and one of the youth’s parents, the event is relived and rationalised. Performed by South African actress Thembi Mtshali-Jones. Tickets are £10.00- £14.00 for Tuesday’s showing from here.

At 8.40pm after the show, writer and performer Mojisola Adebayo will be in conversation with Mother to Mother actress Thembi Mtshali-Jones. This is talk is FREE

Wednesday 3^rd October

At 2.00pm at The Albany we have Collaborating Across Continents, a FREE talk with Jan Ryan Producer of Afrovibes UK and Director of UK Arts about working and collaborating internationally.

At 6.00pm there are South African Film Shorts curated by the New Black Film Network at The Albany. There are three 25 minute films; The Unseen Ones is a musical documentary following artist Leagan Davids living and working in the Wesbank/ Delft township, then Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty, a documentary about agrarian reform and land ownership in South Africa and Mwansa The Great, a story about an 8 year old boy who embarks on a fantastical journey to prove his greatness. These viewings are FREE

At 8.00pm we have And the Girls in their Sunday Dresses at Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, Stratford, E15 1BX, this is the story of 2 characters the Woman and the Lady who meet while queuing to buy rice. The Woman a former domestic worker has brought her own chair, while the sophisticated Lady has brought her lunch; the 2 characters are played by 2 of South Africa’s most acclaimed comedians. Tickets are £10.00 (£8.00 concessions) from here

The Three Furies with Zena Edwards is at 7.30pm at The Albany and is a dynamic poetry in performance film performed by Zena Edwards, Mbali Vilakazi and Clara Opoku interpreting the Greek myth of the Three Furies asprotectors of women and children and agents of vengeance. This modern interpretation translates this into a contemporary multimedia presentation of women’s anger in the 21^st century. This is followed by Inception a complex and structured dance solo performed by Sowetan dancer Sonia Radebe to music by Nhlanhla Mahlangu, exploring perceptions of female artists as well as her inner psyche. These events are FREE.

From 9.00pm at The Albany Madagascar singer Modeste performs traditional guitar backed Malagasy sounds with South African dance rythyms. This event is FREE

Thursday 4^th October

At 6.00pm poet and photographer Raymond Antrobus will be performing poetry at the Albany based on his conversations with people while travelling through South Africa this event is FREE.

At 7.00pm Nigerian afrobeats superstar Ice Prince will be holding his first ever UK headline show at the O2 Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, Islington, N1 0PS to celebrate Nigeria’s’ 52^nd Independence Day, UK afrobeats performer Mista Silva will introduce him. Tickets are £11.25 from here

At 7.30pm at the Albany is another performance of Inception the dance solo performed by Sowetan dancer Sonia Radebe to music by Nhlanhla Mahlangu, exploring perceptions of female artists as well as her own inner psyche. This is followed by The Exile is in my head a solo theatrical dance piece choreographed and performed by Qudus Onikeku with music by Charles Amblard inspired by Wole Soyinka’s prison memoir ‘The Man Died’, a graduate if the National Higher School of Circus Arts in France his work draws on Nigerian dance, hip hop, Tai Chi, capoeira, acrobatics and contemporary dance. Tickets are £10.00- £14.00 from here

At 8.00pm we have another instalment of And the Girls in their Sunday Dresses at Stratford Circus, this is the story of 2 characters the Woman and the Lady who meet while queuing to buy rice. The Woman a former domestic worker has brought her own chair, while the sophisticated Lady has brought her lunch; the 2 characters are played by 2 of South Africa’s most acclaimed comedians. Tickets are £10.00 (£8.00 concessions) from here

Friday 5^th October

At 6.00pm there are South African Film Shorts at The Albany curated by the New Black Film Network. There are three 25 minute films; The Unseen Ones is a musical documentary following artist Leagan Davids living and working in the Wesbank/ Delft township, then Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty, a documentary about agrarian reform and land ownership in South Africa and Mwansa the Great, a story about an 8 year old boy who embarks on a fantastical journey to prove his greatness. This is a FREE event

The Sibikwa Arts African Indigenous Orchestra will be performing at 7.00pm at the Stratford Circus. This 10 piece Orchestra will give a lively exchange of rhythms from township jazz to Afrobeat, they demand a high level of audience participation, so be prepared to get involved, the orchestra consists of traditional instruments such as the Uhadi, marimba, mbira and dinaka pipes as well as horns and drums. Tickets are £10.00 (£25.00 for a family of 4) from here.

At 7.00pm our friend El Crisis comes with another instalment of Word Power and Sound at Centerprise, 136 Kingsland High Street, Dalston, E8 2NS, with featured artists singer/ songwriter Bashiyra, poets Tshaka Campbel, Nia Barge, Errol McGlashan, JJ Bola and Sophia Thakur, drummer Queen Amra and rapper Phoenix Da Icefire. There will also be drummers, stalls and open mic slots. Tickets are £6.00 before 7.30pm and £8.00 afterwards.

At 7.00pm  at The Albany we have Thirst blending dance, physical theatre, song and African storytelling as it tells the story of 3 water carriers on a magical journey to find the source of a dried up river, written and directed by James Ngcobo and choreographed by Gregory Magoma. Tickets are £10.00- £14.00 from here

At 8.30pm there is Soul Liberation Funk at Upstairs at the Ritzy, Brixton Oval, Brixton, SW2 1JG with soulful live music, featured acts, open mics going till midnight. Tickets are £7.00

At 9.00pm we have And the Girls in their Sunday Dresses at The Albany. Tickets are £10.00-£14.00 from here

At 10.30pm meet the cast and crew of ‘Thirst’ and ‘And the Girls in their Sunday Dresses’ for drinks, music and conversation

From 10.00pm till 5.00am is the Nigeria 52 Independence Party at the IndigO2, O2 Arena, Peninsula Square, Greenwich SE10 0DX. Hosted by Mr Amour ‘A’ Star and DJ Abrantee, with a massive line up of afrobeats DJ, Chuddy K, May7ven, Demzy, Starboy Wills and Showa Shin. Dress code is traditional or smart attire, early bird tickets are £10.00 contact 07506710795 or BB 297D4D3A.

At 10.00pm is the Official Nigerian 52nd Independence Dance Party at the IF Bar, 71 Ilford Hill, Ilford, IG1 2DG, with delicious Nigerian delicacies courtesy of Papi’s Grill, DJ’s Sean, Sweazy,  Krixx, Afro B and Bricks Connexion. FREE entry for Ladies on the guest list before 11.00pm, £10.00 before 11.30pm and more afterwards.

And at 11.00pm we have The Official Nigerian 52^nd Independence Celebrations at Club Coliseum, 1 Nine Elms Lane, Vauxhall, SW8 5NQ. There will be live performances by afrobeats star Ice Prince, afro juju band Solek Crew. Dot Star and Afrikan Boy performing Amala Azonto as well as Dem Boyz, Neptizzle, Jinglez, Stretchinald, Scholar T, Sef Kombo, Perfect Gents, Ade ‘The Talking Drummer’, Invasion Crew, Yuzkey, DJ Sean, DJ MVP, Tony Bee, Kapital, So Contagious, Smooth EMT, Anikin, Bigz, Nate and Afro B. With freshly made jollof rice and suya hosted by Funmbi, tickets are £10.00 (earlybird), £12.50-£15.00 (standard) and £25.00 VIP.

Saturday 6^th October

Proud to be Ghanaian

From 11.00am to 6.00pm is Ghana Youth Day at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach, Tottenham, N15 4RX. Hosted by the Ghana High Commission in association with Tullow Oil, with the theme ‘Our Youth, Our society, Our Future’. With a mix of workshops and entertainment by the likes of Donaeo, Fuse ODG, Lyrical Soldier, Mista Silva, Dentaa and Simply Andy and hosted by Simply Andy. There is free food, free drink and FREE entry by registering here 

At 2.30pm we have Thirst blending dance, physical theatre, song and African storytelling as it tells the story of 3 water carriers on a magical journey to find the source of a dried up river, written and directed by James Ngcobo and choreographed by Gregory Magoma. Tickets are £10.00- £14.00 from here.

At 7.30pm we have And the Girls in their Sunday Dresses at The Albany. Tickets are £10.00-£14.00 from here.

At 4.00pm, The Sibikwa Arts African Indigenous Orchestra will be performing again at the Stratford Circus. The 10 piece Orchestra will give a lively exchange of rhythms from township jazz to Afrobeat, they demand a high level of audience participation, so be prepared to get involved, the orchestra consists of traditional instruments such as the Uhadi, marimba, mbira and dinaka pipes as well as horns and drums. Tickets are £10.00 (£25.00 for a family of 4) from here.

The African Weddings and Bridal Fayre is from 12.00 to 6.00pm at Croydon District Masonic Halls, 73 Oakfield Road, CR0 2UX, showcasing African wedding service providers from aso ebi coordinators, traditional weddings, naming ceremonies, traditional drummers, MC’s etc. There will be a traditional engagement planning seminar, a short drama showcasing a traditional Yoruba engagement and an award for the best traditional MC,  food and cake tasting, free manicures and pedicures, free face painting fro children, makeovers and other prizes. Book your place for this FREE event here.

At 12.00 midday there is Storytelling with Essequibo Music at the Albany with Keith Waithe and Sandra Agard accompanied by South African flutes with tales of wild animals and other traditional African characters. This event is FREE

At 1.30pm at the Albany we have the Safari Craft Cafe a children’s craft workshop inspired by African storytelling, create masks and have fun colouring traditional African patterns. This event is FREE

At 6.00pm there are South African Film Shorts at The Albany curated by the New Black Film Network. There are three 25 minute films; The Unseen Ones is a musical documentary following artist Leagan Davids living and working in the Wesbank/ Delft township, then Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty, a documentary about agrarian reform and land ownership in South Africa and Mwansa the Great, a story about an 8 year old boy who embarks on a fantastical journey to prove his greatness

At 7.00pm is the Miss Black Africa UK 2012 Pageant And Charity Awards at the Royal Regency Hall, 501 High Street North, Manor Park, E12 6TH. 25 girls will compete to be crowned Miss Black Africa 2012, tickets are from £15.00 to £40.00 from here.

From 8.00pm to 1.00am we have A Night of Afropolitan Dandies hosted by Numbi at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA. There's a poets corner with Sai Murai and Elmi Ali, Sam Elmi, Dean Atta and Leeto Thale. The musicians will do their bit with Dahu Mumagi as well as Sudanese- Italian singer Amira Kheir, dancer Funmi accompanied by the VJ will give a funky homage to the brothers and award winning stylist Christell Kedi will be teaming up with a host of designers to create 8 Afropolitan dandy looks on 8 special guest models1 hosted by poetess Dorothea Smartt all this for £10.00 in advance from here, £5.00 concessions and £12.00 on door.

From 9.00pm at the Albany, UK jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch will be performing tracks from his album The New Emancipation and new material drawing inspiration from Africa’s modern diaspora

Sunday 7^th October

At 1.00pm we have African Drumming with IRIE! Dance, a traditional African drumming and percussion for all the family. This event is FREE

At 2.30pm in the Albany there is Afro-Fusion Family Dance, where you can learn dance styles from around the world with an African flavour led by the dancers from Thirst. This is a FREE family activity for ages 3 and above

At the Albany from 8.00pm is a Night at the Shebeen, the Afrovibes finale hosted by Eska Mtungwazi with special guests members of the Sibikwa African Orchestra, Uncover Young Musicians, poet Raymond Antrobus, there will be soul music, jazz, afrobeast, poetry, dancing and food! This event is FREE (food is £6.00)

At 7.00pmThe Sibikwa African Orchestra will be performing at The Albany. If you missed this 10 piece Orchestra previously you can catch their exhilarating township jazz and Afrobeat. Tickets are £10.00 to £14.00 from here.

At 8.30pm is Mister Africa International is the search for the most handsome man of African origin at the Africa Centre, 38 King Street, Covent Garden. WC2E 8JT, produced by Just Fashion UK in collaboration with House of Twitch it will bring together 20 African Ambassadors to see who will be crowned Mister Africa International. Tickets are £17.00-£30.00 from here. 

 The African Market comes to Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 again, from 12.00 to 7.00pm with stalls, fashion, arts and craft, design, jewellery, books, music, food, drumming and a special performance by the Plumcroft Drumming School. Entry is FREE, register here.

At 7.00pm we have the London Premiere of the South African Film Snare at Courthouse Doubletree, Hilton Hotel, 19-21 Great Marlborough Street, Mayfair, W1F 7HL. The film is a thriller revolving around poaching in South Africa, with sweeping shots of the beautiful South African veldt it’s a fine advertisement for South Africa and raises awareness of the problems of poaching. Tickets are £20.00 from here.  

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.