In a sense, our entire global pop culture stands on the shoulders of ancient rhythms and melodies brought over from Africa to the West. That musical and cultural feedback loop – which began when the heartbeat of Africa was forcibly ushered out of the ports of West, Central, and Southwest Africa, beating upwards through the islands and the Americas, birthing on its way such monumental movements as the blues, funk, jazz, rock, reggae and, of course, hip-hop – is now coming full circle with a new crop of young African artists who have been influenced by those very sounds.
From K’Naan to Nneka to Akon to Bajah, there’s a lot Africa has to offer musically these days. And this is precisely what OKAYAFRICA is all about. The entire continent of Africa is absolutely jumping with the new sounds it’s creating: mixtures of traditional rhythms and beats with hip hop, dancehall, indie rock, electronica, reggae and more. These are the new sounds of Africa, and OKAYAFRICA is where you’ll learn about them and other pop cultural phenomena coming out of the Continent.
And this is exactly what you’ll experience at the All For Africa Palm Out Poverty Festival on October 4th. With ?uestlove of the legendary Roots crew DJ’ing (he recently found out his DNA can be traced back to the Mende tribe of Sierra Leone!), and Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew straight out of Freetown, Sierra Leone rocking the stage with their socially conscious vibes, FELA! On Broadway’s Sahr Ngaujah ushering in the night as host and the FELA! dancers shaking their yange through the crowd, this will be a truly epic night showcasing what Africa really has to offer in this day and age. And you may just find a few very special guests gracing the stage with surprise performances… there’s only one way to know: come join us at the POP Festival.
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