The annul Africa day concert was held once again in Johannesburg at the New Town park this past weekend. It drew more than 10 000 people with its interesting line up which included the world renowned Senegalese singer Baaba Maal as the headliner. It was held on Saturday which was one of the coldest days of Johannesburg but that didn’t stop the thousand people from attending the concert.
Nkulee Dube the new reggae sensation and also the daughter of the late Lucky Dube graced the stage looking staggering in a jump suit. She kicked off her set with her new single “Who Dem” and in no timer the audience was singing along while she danced and interacted with her band. She ended her set on a high note by singing “Trouble” a song she said was her father’s favourite but it all seemed like an audience favourite too. After Nkulee warmed up the crowd the SAMA nominated alternative group UJU took to the stage and within no time they had the audience singing along while Ntuthu the lead singer seemed to mesmerise them with her sweet voice. But it’s their rendition of the classic hit by the Trompies and Lebo Mathosa “Magasman” that won over the audience.
Olufemi singer and saxophone player from Nigeria took us to another with the Lagos afro beat. Everyone was on their feet including an old couple who were the highlight of the dance floor and for a moment the cold weather didn’t seem to matter. After the energetic performance there was an announcement about a 45 minute break to make final arrangements for the live broadcast which came as a bit of a bummer.
After the 45 minutes break we crossed over to the live broadcast which aired on SABC 2 with the very energetic hosts Anele Mdoda and KB. Dancers opened up the show with an interesting choreography and costumes as they danced to the Late Brenda Fassie’s classics. The broadcast show was kick started by the legendary Mahotella Queens who set the stage on fire with the choreography and colourful outfits. They sang three songs including their smash hit “GAZETTE” with the audience singing along fiercely as they took us back to memory lane. After the energetic performance the legendary Baaba Maal took to the stage for a more intimate set up that showcased those killer vocals, while he spoke to the audience in between the songs as if they were sitting right next to him. He was soon joined by Pops Mohammed and Olufemi for a very interesting collaboration that resulted in an eruption of intensive sounds that were very enchanting and very easy in the ear. After the more intimate set with Baaba Maal we went to Mali with a performance from Habib Koite who was so energetic that for a moment the whole New Town was on fire from stage all the way to the audience.
This year they also introduced a new segment for the new up and coming artists to showcase their talent and they chose Toyah and gospel a group called The Soil. Toyah started off well with a reggae inspired song while she showed off her piano playing skills, but she lost the audience in the second song which saw her go for the rock side with two dancers accompanying her. The soil followed her and they mesmerised the audience with their acapella performance and dance moves, with their flawless harmonies echoing through the park. After that outstanding performance Tumi and the volume turned up the volume with some hip hop jams. It was interesting to see how much Tumi has become such an audience favourite and the performance he gave was the best I’ve ever seen when it comes to hip hop. With that outstanding performance from tumi it was now for the man of the moment Professor. The moment he walked on stage and the crowd just went insane you could clearly see how much this kwaito sensation has taken over South Africa. From the hit “Lento” with Speedy to the closing song “Sik’amarasor” New Town just came to a standstill.
It was very inspiring to see many people coming out in the cold to celebrate this day that is for us Africans especially during this time when we need each other the most. One of the most powerful things a man I talked to said was that we need this day now more than ever especially with all the xenophobic attacks that are happening around the country. I still feel like there is more that can be done to celebrate this day and maybe it could also be made a public holiday to show how important it really is.
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