Global Music Stars to storm OpenMic/AfriCourage Festival in Banjul

By Bakary Ceesay

The OpenMic/AfriCourage festival brings together international and regional music stars to celebrate the power of music and the strength of indigenous culture in Banjul on 27-28 December, 2019 at the independence stadium.

On December 27th, the OpenMic festival reflects the power of hip-hop in the local culture. On December 28th, the AfriCourage project focuses on traditional and contemporary culture, with an international and local line-up and a global streamcast courtesy of the European Broadcast Union. AfriCourage will thus become the first sub-Saharan African festival to be broadcast live to major European media networks.

The AfriCourage line-up will feature some of the legendary names of music from the region and beyond, including Baaba Maal (Senegal), the Ensemble Modern (Germany), Jali Madi (The Gambia), Journal Rappé (Senegal), Smockey (Burkina Faso), Sambou Suso (The Gambia), Tata Dindin (The Gambia), Wimme & Rinne (Finland) and more. Additionally, in an appearance devised especially for the festival, the Liberation Orchestra of Inverted Traditions will feature selected artists in a spectacular, never-to-be-repeated collaboration, blending the European traditions of visiting artists with local West African grooves.

The initiative is supported by the United Nations Youth Empowerment Project and aims at nothing less than turbo-charging the Gambian cultural economy. Jointly organised by Gambian promoters Black Lynx Entertainment and the Goethe-Institut, the AfriCourage/OpenMic festival will be recorded, filmed and streamcast around the world.

In earlier times, the people of The Gambia would sit at night beneath the baobab tree and exchange news and views. Traditions have changed, but still the need to share information, address problems and find solutions remains. With this in mind, Germany’s Goethe-Institut has developed the AfriCourage project as a model of local and international cooperation and information exchange.

The initiative aims to encourage and enhance integration, participation, cooperation, engagement, tolerance and democracy. The AfriCourage programme is continuous, taking place yearly in a different country and in 2019 the location is The Gambia’s capital Banjul.

In December 2019, as guests of the OpenMicFest, AfriCourage will provide professional training from the worlds of festival presentation, event management, promotion, sound technology and media. AfriCourage is bringing artistic and business acumen to The Gambia to perform and work with local Gambian talent and entrepreneurs.

AfriCourage invites you to participate in an event celebrating the unique culture of the modern Gambia!

The organizers: Goethe Institut Senegal  and Black Lynx Entertainment in The Gambia.

The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute, active worldwide. It promotes the study of German abroad and encourage international cultural exchange. The Gambian enterprise Black Lynx Entertainment is into the creation and development of platforms for artistes. They have been involved in entertainment entrepreneurship in The Gambia for more than a decade with a core focus on (1) the creation and development of platforms on radio, TV, live events and (2) the marketing and monetization of Gambian entertainment. Since 2008 they have hosted the annual OpenMicFest.

Partners & Sponsors: AfriCourage becomes reality through a unique collaboration between OpenMicFest and the Goethe-Institut. We are grateful for the contribution and expertise of our partners and sponsors who have made the project possible.