THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The rhythmic pulse of Africa has been beating in the middle of a city on the edge of the Black Forest since 2001. On the first weekend of August, Emmendingen will once again be the focus of African culture and, above all, the music of the continent.
The African Music Festival will kick off on Friday, 4 August with the relaxed rhythms of Salsa and Latin. Soneros de Verdad will once again be entertaining on this evening. Latin & Afro Cuban music maestro Ritmo Jazz Group and the international choir musicians Soul Family will also be on the stage on the opening day of the festival.
On this year’s Reggae Saturday, Dellé will thoroughly heat up visitors as a main act. Dellé, aka Eased, is not only known as Seeed’s front man. Since the release of his second album, Neo (2016), he has also been a prominent player on the reggae and dancehall scene as a solo artist. After countless Seeed shows before mammoth crowds of more than 20,000 people, he now enjoys the more intimate atmosphere of smaller stages and the loose gigs as he goes on tour with his band promoting his new roots album.
Also billed to perform on Saturday is the band Meta & the Cornerstones, roots reggae band built around the talented Senegalese musician and singer Meta Dia. If music journalists from Europe or North America lack the words to express how much they love the music of an African reggae artist they have just stumbled upon, they are quick to talk about “Africa’s Bob Marley”. One of the artists to elicit that comparison goes by the name of Meta Dia.
Meta was born and raised in Dakar, Senegal. In 2000, he relocated to New York. Bob Marley once said that the moment reggae music reached Africa, it would be taken to a new level. Today, the continent has a thriving reggae movement from Casablanca to Cape Town, with some of its exponents enjoying popularity all over the world. Meta Dia is one of the new entrants.
The German-French Soul & Reggae group Fire of Soul will also take the stage to make the reggae Saturday one to remember for a long time.
In addition to the various workshops and an extensive supporting program, the world bazaar and the street parade should not be missed this year.
The African Music Festival Emmendingen, with its line-up of talented artistes and supporting activities, promises its fans an unforgettable experience.
Sola Jolaoso
More on the festival at: http://www.festival.afrikaba.com/
