Africa is a continent that vibrates with music all through the year, and has its own distinctive rhythms and sounds. It offers plenty to music lovers, especially the kinds who are constantly on the lookout for something new. Having said that, Africa also holds some of the most well-known jazz and classical music festivals known to the world. In fact, a good number of these events also cater to the youth, focused on pop music. Here in this short article, we will acquaint you with a few of these well-known music festivals of Africa. If you’re keen on learning about them, please click on the link and visit the corresponding webpage.
Nyege Nyege
Despite running only for a handful of years, Nyege Nyege has gained worldwide popularity today. It’s a music festival backed by Ugandan promoters who have already carved a niche for themselves by putting Africa on the electronic music map of the world. It happens over four days, and gives stage space to some of the best underground sounds from Africa. Apart from that, you also get to hear the more familiar techno and global house music. The fact that it is staged inside a forest, and close to the Nile River, makes it even more exciting!
Felabration
Named after Fela Kuti, a multi-instrumentalist widely known for being one of the biggest innovators in afrobeat music genre, Felabration is an annual Nigerian music festival that comes across as both sophisticated and cool. It happens on Fela Kuti’s birthday every year, celebrating him even after his death in August 1997. If you choose to attend this festival you can expect to hear some of the most danceable and best rhythms generated by the modern day Nigerian musicians, as well as ones belonging to other West African nations such as Ghana and Mali.
Sauti Za Busara
Counted amongst the coolest music festivals of East Africa, Sauti Za Busara is staged on Zanzibar Island in Tanzania. It happens in February each year and also involves acts from outside of Africa. One can expect eclectic music renditions from both local performers as well as those outside of Tanzania’s mainstream music traditions. Sauti Za Busara translates to ‘Sounds of Wisdom’ and is a title which is done justice to by the spirit of the festival. Some of the acts featured at this festival in the recent times include Makadem, Ribab Fusion and El Dey.
Cape Town International Jazz Festival
Held in South Africa, Cape Town International Jazz Festival is considered the most prestigious event for musicians to get invited to perform in, throughout the African continent. It’s an annual festival which normally happens in the month of March and features a wide range of music styles including traditional jazz, afropop, hip-hop, funk and soul. The recent editions of the festival saw internationally respected artists such as Trombone Shorty and others headlining the event.
