AFTER a turbulent year, the much talked about and anticipated Africa Oye returns in 2011 for an impressive 20th year. If its showing on Saturday is anything to go by Liverpool should be doing everything it can to keep Britain’s biggest African music festival in the city.
Since its humble beginnings as a series of small shows in Liverpool’s city centre, the festival has gone from strength to strength, resulting in its expansion to Sefton Park in 2002.
But this year there were talks that it had outgrown even this location and that it could be moved outside of Liverpool completely.
This idea was eventually rejected, the compromise being that to cope with increasing demand, it became a ticketed event.
Personally, before attending this year’s festivities, I felt that this move was justifiable and as tickets prices were kept relatively low it seemed reasonable.
Then came the announcement just weeks before it kicked off that Africa Oye would once again be free. Whether this was due to a lack of uptake on tickets early on, or simply a change of heart from organisers remains to be seen, but the move was definitely a welcome one.
Some things never change though and the weather reports were as unpredictable as always and so I head down on Saturday afternoon with clothing to suit at least three of the four seasons.
Up first is Western Sahara’s Mariam Hassan and her five-strong band.
Four of the group members ware women, all in traditional clothing and veils, while the one male guitarist wears traditional dress – apart that is from the slick, jet black guitar he wields meaningfully.
Initially it is difficult to tell which of the veiled women is Mariam as no-one seemed to be taking a lead role in what was a heavy drum and guitar driven dirge. This is interspersed with short sharp wails and calls from two women seated on the floor playing congas and gesticulating rhythmically.
After a good five minutes of this gloomy trance-inducing grooving which matches the sky above, Mariam makes her presence felt and unleashes an awesomely powerful and chilling voice on the currently sparse, but nevertheless enthralled crowd.
Deep, dark and bass heavy, their set was a mixture of classic Rock N Roll riffs and more traditional North African ones, beefed up and amplified to provide the growling background for Mariam’s energetic and powerful vocals.
I have no idea what she is singing about, but the emotion of a people whose history has seen them driven from their homeland is clear for all to hear.
Although brilliant and unique, this type of music is to take in and reflect on, and the crowd are in need of revival from their trance. Fortunately the Oye’s ever present compere is on hand to gee up the crowd.
He is a man who embodies the passion of the festival and its values, and particularly it’s free for all nature.
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| Revelers enjoy the afternoon sun at Africa Oye |
His constant reminders of the need for people contributing to the festival by buying t-shirts, tags and beer for the Inn, serve as a reminder of what a struggle organisers have had, and will no doubt have again next year to keep the festival free.
Before the next act I headed for a much needed wake up coffee from Bold Street Coffee’s stall, and check out some Capoeira in the activity zone along the way.
A Brazilian dance/martial art cross-over that’s refreshing aim was to avoid contact with your opponent.
Plenty of back-flips and leg flinging later I head back to the main stage where the gentle acoustic shimmerings of Koreyce Fotso are floating towards me.
As soon as she opens her mouth and this gorgeous voice comes out, the sun simultaneously emerges for the first time, as if awoken by this angelic-voiced Cameroonian songstress.
She had plenty of between song banter to go with those stunning vocal chords. At the end of one echoingly emotion laden track she breaks the spell she’s cast on the audience with a surprisingly shrill “HI!!” like an over-excited teenager.
It is all hugely endearing and made clear how happy she was to be here, and she finds ways of connecting with an audience that must seem a world apart on themes such as love and conflict.
Forced marriage and cheating men are themes that crop up several times during her set, including one story about a friend who’d stolen her husband, which raises a knowing titter from a few in the crowd.
As well as playing a mean acoustic guitar, she also turns her hand to a number of weird and wonderful instruments to magically complement her beautiful voice.
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| Koreyce Forso - knocks on wood |
As the set continues it moves up into a livelier and more interactive gear. One particularly rhythmic number involves a call and answer format with what looked like a hollowed out tree-trunk and two sticks. Only at Africa Oye.
Other unique instruments include a flat shaker that when gently moved sounds like waves lapping on the sea shore, which sounds like heaven when accompanying her honey-like vocal range in all its reverb laden glory.
All her songs whether sad, angry or happy are as catchy and enjoyable as her infectiously cheery personality and she really kicks the festivities off and captures the nature of its spirit effortlessly.
Next up; Beatlife, a 20-30 piece drumming ensemble made up of Liverpool children and teenagers, complete with breakdancers. Their rhythmic stomp accompanies me as I made my way round the many gift and clothes stalls on the site; from vintage clothing, hippy chic, to Jamaican souvenirs, African instruments and garments, jewellery, it’s all here and you could easily spend a fortune. I limit myself to one or two bracelets for now.
I headed for the food stalls and after much deliberating go for one of the smallest most home-made looking Jamaican stalls. Lamb Pattie and Ginger Beer in hand I head back to the main stage for the eagerly anticipated Gangbe Brass Band.
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| The Gangbe Brass Band |
The 8-piece (seven due to the saxophonist having visa problems), line up in matching uniforms; coloured and almost jigsaw puzzle like in design they consist of three trumpeters, one trombonist, one tuba player with the bands name adorning the inside and two drummers.
More unusual percussion on show here, with a hand bass drum that looks like a spaceship on a springy cushion but that booms very effectively.
The music itself is uplifting, lively party music with a soulful yet funky vibe that gets everyone moving.
The rhythm section keep things moving at a good pace, while the brass section beautifully intertwines, combining jazz, salsa, soul and African rhythms to great effect.
They seem to genuinely enjoy themselves and are full of smiles and dancing, as were most of growing crowd who by the end were shouting for more but are appreciatively reminded that there was much more music to fit into the day.
If the party is already in full swing, Angola’s Bonga really takes things to full tilt. I have a short pit stop at the Inn for a beer and catch up with friends whilst enjoying a mix of classic reggae and its contemporary offshoots blasted out by Eat Your Greens DJs.
So enjoyable were their vibes that I miss the start of Bonga’s set, but as I join part way through he has clearly already worked the crowd well as they are moving and grooving eagerly.
Beat heavy, bass-tastic and funky with Latin and French influences, it is music to really loosen up to, which is exactly what the crowd is doing. The sun is out, the beer flowing, bbq’s burning, and a really good atmosphere is forming.
The crowd is as eclectic a mix of people as you are every likely to see in one place, wonderfully representative of a cross-section of the melting pot of cultures that form our society.
It must be a real delight for artists and organisers alike to see such a wide cross section of society not just out in the park for a free gig, but really getting into the music and festival atmosphere.
Not once all day do I see any negative behaviour or animosity between revellers; from young families, black, white, and everything in-between all down for the party. Hippies old and young, cool kids, Indie kids, Goths, people dressed up, people dressed down. Seeing all these people coming together really helps hammer home why organisers are so keen to keep it free, because surely the make-up of the crowd would look far different if there had been an entry fee.
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| Fatoumata Diawara |
Mali’s Fatoumata Diawara arrives with a gloriously mellow introductionary song to mellow the mood in the late-afternoon sun. The group is the most conventionally band-like in its set up and as a result the most western influenced music on offer.
The song construction and some of the riffs and chord progressions are very western-sounding, but when blended with more traditional African breakdowns and Fatoumata’s beautiful vocals it works wonderfully.
The African spirit is very much maintained in the music of a women who has toured the globe and clearly picked up influences along the way, whilst keeping the same constantly cyclonic groove which embodies so much African music.
She is very well timetabled for the festival, providing the perfect soundtrack to see out the remains of the sunshine.
I take a backseat and catch the first half of her set from a distance, lying back and taking in the blissful vibes.
However as the set progresses things slowly liven up and I feel compelled to get a closer look.
The Western Rock influences in the band come out again, and one epic number leads to some energetic rocking out African-style. While the guitarist gets down to some serious riffs and solos, Fatoumata’s boundless energy sees her flinging herself around the stage, beaded dreadlocks doing a merry dance of their own.
After mellowing the mood right down, she has seamlessly brought the crowd back to simmering nicely, and by the time she is done everyone had shaken off the early evening chill and is warmed up nicely for the finale.
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| Marcia Griffiths - let's rip some classic Reggae hits |
And so to the one many people have been waiting for, and as our compere reminded us, a true legend, one of Reggae’s greats serving up some good old-fashioned ‘real Reggae’.
Martia Griffiths has had a hugely accomplished career and worked with so many legendary artists, and those who didn’t realize before her set certainly know after.
Classic after classic is belted out in a set that includes hits such as Young, Gifted & Black, Dawn Penn’s No No No, Damien Marley’s Welcome To Jamrock, Toots & The Maytals’ 54-46, Desmond Dekker’s The Israelites, and on and on…
She truly is an ultra-professional, and if there were any doubts that the crowd would not give it their all after a long day which had come to a chilly end, she soon dispelled them. A commanding force, she gently reminds the crowd that they were in the presence of a great, performing ‘real reggae’, and that you do NOT stand still to real reggae. She simply gives the crowd no choice but to get moving. And move they do.
She has some poignant words too; dedicating Young, Gifted and Black to the entire audience and plugging the positive message that embodies all reggae music, that “you are all gifted and blessed”.
Reggae knows how to bring people together, and Martia is no exception. As I look around I see nothing but smiling faces and dancing feet; young and old, black and white, from all walks of life, all coming together for a good old-fashioned funky reggae party.
It was a slick performance, and as the hits rack up and the crowd get down she rounds off the set with Bob Marley’s ‘Could You Be Loved’, and there was not a silent voice or still body in the whole park.
She leaves the stage to rapturous applause and cheers, and quickly returns for a lengthy encore, rounding things off with another Bob Marley hit, and her most famous; ‘Three Little Birds’. Euphoria ensues.
It is a magnificent, enigmatic and effortless performance from, as she reminded us, one of a dying breed of Reggae greats, as time begins to catch up with the original Reggae generation.
To see such a legend in such a great setting, and for free, is a rare treat, and those who saw it will I am sure remember it for years to come.
