The centerpiece of this year's youth oriented festival will be a performance by Canadian-Somalian musical prodigy K'naan. A renowned singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, K'naan is one of the fastest rising stars on the international music scene. A respected beat-maker and trend-setting poet with vibrant ties to his homeland, K'naan, born Keinan Abdi Warsame, brings his childhood experiences growing up in Mogadishu to his poignant yet completely entertaining songs. Delivering his message of peace and tolerance with style and flare, this Juno-award-winning artist promises to heat up the Afrikadey! stage in a performance that all can appreciate and enjoy.

It's been a long road for one so young to have travelled, but K'naan, also known as the Dusty-Foot Philosopher, has definitely made the best of the opportunities that have been presented to him. Transplanted from civil war torn Mogadishu to New York and eventually Toronto, he taught himself English with the help of hip-hop records and began imitating his musical heroes even before he became fluent in his new language.

A remarkable testament to the resilience of the human spirit, K'naan would go on to speak before the United Nations on behalf of refugees where he caught the eye of Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour who was so impressed that he included the young maestro on his next album and world tour. Launching himself into the spotlight in earnest, K'naan continues to be a voice before the UN even as he furthers his musical career through performances at the Montreal Jazz Festival and the Halifax Pop Explosion. His 2007/2008 CD The Dusty Foot Philosopher was well received in both Canada and the United States whetting appetites for his subsequent release Troubadour which featured exciting collaborations with like-minded artists including Mos Def, Will-I-Am, Pharoahe Monch and The Roots.

Balancing creativity and conscience in his art, K'naan remains sensitive to the cultural influences that have shaped his path. According to him, his socio-political banter draws its context and content from a "mix of tradition and a kind of articulation of my own life and past experiences". Building on his stellar reputation and cross-cultural appeal, K'naan's song "Wavin' Flag" has become an anthem for peace and healing across the globe. Rerecorded in the name of charity by a collective choir of Canadian musicians, called Young Musicians for Haiti, the tune rocketed to number one in the charts. Soon thereafter "Wavin' Flag" would be selected as the promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup; this celebratory remix was performed live at the games by K’naan himself propelling the tune to the top of hit lists of in Europe and North America.

Calgarians off all backgrounds and musical persuasions are heartily encouraged to experience the magic of K'naan for themselves as he performs as the headliner at this year's Afrikadey! Festival. Filling our main stage with his charisma, character and undeniably danceable beats, K'naan will transport you to a world beyond words.

"We took something like 50 drums and did this crazy mix for it", says K'naan of his FIFA performance. "It's about the one time that we all get together and the world forgets its conflict and its problems and we focus on this unity and celebration. That moment is connected now to Wavin' Flag."

Visit K'naan's website here.

Known to the musical world simply as Nomfusi, 24 year-old singer/songwriter Nomfusi Gotyana is one of the featured artists coming to the Afrikadey! stage this August. Having blessed Calgary audiences with a stellar performance at Afrikadey! 2009, she will shine once more as a star attraction as a participant in this year's much anticipated main-stage festivities.

A far cry from her humble beginnings in the Eastern Cape province's KwaZakhele township and eventually Khayelitsha (on the outskirts of Cape Town), South Africa, Nomfusi has built a successful international musical career through her exceptional talent and by the sheer force of her irrepressible will. An expert at melding South African musical styles and influences with modern influences such as Tina Turner, Lauren Hill and Aretha Franklin, Nomfusi injects each of her songs with soulful power and fiery passion to create beautiful music while remaining true to her cultural roots.

Having lost a great source of support with the death of her mother, a traditional healer, in 1988, the twelve year-old once again demonstrated her resilience by using her personal pain as emotional motivation to compose her first song, "Uthando", which means "love". Of Uthando she says: "Losing my mother made me understand what love is and the kind of love she was teaching us, and that for me was to love myself so much that I would not let any situation destroy me, not even her death." The intrepid vocalist was recently dealt another harsh blow when her sister passed away, only adding to her brave resolve.

By now an expert at parlaying hardship into harmony, Nomfusi has stepped into the recording studio to immortalize her craft, releasing a live "in concert with" DVD. In addition, her debut album entitled Kwazibani, which was her mother's name and which means "Who Knows?", has garnered acclaim and appreciation from fans and critics alike. Swathed in the rhythms and melodies of Sophiatown jazz and inspired by musicians such as the talented Abigail Khubeka, Kwazibani was embraced by the world-beat community as a work of exceptional maturity and honesty. Nomfusi has even had her touching Xhosa lyrics translated into English as a nod to her growing international fanbase.

Armed with a strong and uplifting voice, remarkable beauty and a dynamic and appealing stage presence, Nomfusi has forged a golden reputation for entertaining audiences across the globe. Her signature Afro-soul style is described as a blend of rhythm and blues, jazz and South African contemporary music. Already a seasoned veteran of prominent concert-series such as Annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Nomfusi this year plans to embark on a on an extended international tour with her band appearing at prestigious festivals in North America and Europe. A role-model for young people of all backgrounds, Nomfusi Gotyana, the petite-powerhouse, is eager to showcase her Afro-soul delights to Calgary's Afrikadey! audience and to bring the warm heart of Africa home to the western Canadian prairies.

Visit Nomfusi on MySpace Music & Facebook.

Hailing from the musically rich traditions of Chad, H'Sao is a six-member musical group comprised primarily of family members. As close to each other as they are to the musical heritage of their beloved African homeland these rhythmic relations skillfully blend elements of traditional Chadian songs with western musical movements. Touching on familiar North American genres including jazz, rhythm & blues, gospel and soul music, H'Sao offers a highly accessible array of styles and sounds that are guaranteed to appeal to a broad spectrum of concertgoers.

Known for their stunning a cappella performances and colourful dance moves, the jet-set H'Sao family raises their voices in praise of their cultural past as well as their new Canadian home, Montreal, which received them in 2002. Steadily building a prosperous and productive life for themselves; the group was elated to launch their North American musical career with the release of their self-titled debut album, a year later, in 2003.

Already the veteran of numerous worldwide performances multi-talented vocalist/guitarist/percussionist Caleb Rimtobaye is eager to bring his skills to the Afrikadey! stage alongside: vocalist/clavier player Isra-l Rimbotaye, bassist/percussionist/vocalist Mossbass Rimtobaye, drummer/vocalist Charles Dono Bei, vocalist/dancer Taroum Rimtobaye and vocalist / percussionist Alain Service Ledjebgue.

Accustomed to delighting audiences at festivals in locales such as the United States of America, Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand with their unaccompanied choral displays H'Sao also uses a variety of lutes, fiddles, horns and trumpets and other instruments from the various regions of Chad to good effect.

September of 2009 saw the much anticipated arrival of a new full-length album from H'Sao, entitled /Flight 235/. Digging into their tumultuous history, this latest release, /Flight 235/, recounts the well-traveled group's very personal impressions on leaving Chad and their lingering resentments regarding the political problems that still plague the nation of their origin.

Ideal representatives of the bright new faces of African youth today, H'Sao's members are all ambitious up-and-comers whose ages fall between 20 and 29, making their accomplishments as writers, composers, dancers, and musicians even more impressive. But no matter what musical style they're exploring at the moment one thing remains the same about H'Sao's impressive sound: unbridled promise and potential. Echoing their love of freedom and freedom of expression, H'Sao brings the message of peace to their audience with every exuberant performance whether their words are sung French, English, Arabic, Sara or Kabalaye.

Visit H'sao's website here.

Steeped in the musical traditions of Africa, PapaGroove is a Canadian ensemble making waves on the world music scene. Veterans of the festival scene, this lively orchestra has graced the stage of the internationally renowned Montreal Jazz Festival sharing the spotlight with elite artists including Stevie Wonder. Riding high on the success of their debut album We're Not Blind, Montreal's PapaGroove is planning to head back into the studios to record their second release this fall, but in the meantime their summer will be filled with live performances and festive activities.

Apt to regale concert-goers with a invigorating blast of funk, R&B and Afrobeat, PapaGroove is known to play comprehensive sets that last for a good hour. Boasting an impressive oeuvre of modern classics, these funky Francophones promise to transport their audience from West Africa to North Africa without a passport. Bandleader/vocalist Sebastien Francisque oversees all the action on stage, embellishing the group's fiery musical works with poltically charged lyrics and emphatic gestures. Often likened to the inexhaustib le king of Afrobeat Fela Kuti, Francisque and company dig deep to provide an authentic and emotionally uplifting listening experience.

Reaching out to their fans via the World Wide Web, papagroove.net is an interactive on-line forum where, according to the band, "People can share with us and with each other comments and pictures." This spirit of communication and togetherness typifies the inclusive esthetic that makes PapaGroove's sound such a multi-faceted delight. "We play music rooted in Africa but adapted in an urban way to a lot of music elements from American soul and rock sounds." They confirm, "We give a lot of energy and always create a very festive atmosphere."

Comprised of a staggering ten, or more, players, PapaGroove's larger-than-life touring band includes a full bass section, plenty of pulsating percussion, and dynamic vocals, all designed to fire up the crowd. Dancing is definitely a prerequisite for any PapaGroove performance as their explosive Afrobeat style and funky rhythms are sure to make you want to move your feet to the beat.

Papa Groove's view on Afrikadey!

What does Afrikadey! represent to you?

Festivals like Afrikadey! are so important for the expression of African and world beat music. PapaGroove is rooted in sounds from Africa and it is a great honor for us to participate in Canadian events that put world music in the spot light.

What is your favourite aspect of performing at summer festivals like Afrikadey!?

We are at our best when playing on big stages and it gives us great visibility.

Please describe some of the things you’ve been up to recently:  Highlights?  Favourite concerts/tours?  New bandmates?

We had the chance to perform right before Stevie Wonder at the Montreal jazz festival's main event.
Performing 4 shows at the Calgary Folk fest last summer was definitely a blast.

Can you tell us about your most recent releases or recordings?

We're not Blind is a first album. We will record our second album next autumn and we will be performing a few songs from it this summer.

How/Where can people find out more about your music?

They can go on our website: papagroove.net.
We have a blog where people can share with us and with each other comments and pictures.

What distinguishes you & your music from the other artists appearing at the festival?

We play music rooted in Africa but adapted in an urban way to a lot of music elements from American soul and rock sounds.

What kind of atmosphere do you try to create with each performance?

We give a lot of energy and always create a very festive atmosphere.

What can audiences who come to your live performances expect to see and experience?

A 10 piece band, talented musicians, a very large brass section and a dynamic singer who will get the crowds dancing! It is simply the sexiest boy's band in the country :)

Anything else you’d like us to know?

The band as been working very hard on the Montreal music scene for years to promote world music and African music especially. We are very proud to participate in a Canadian event that works in the same direction as us.

Visit PapaGroove's myspace here.

Remesha Drums consists of more than fourteen drummers and "a handful of five youngsters going through a passage of initiation." Originally from Burundi, a small country bordered by Rwanda, Congo, and Tanzania, Remesha Drums now calls Canada and Ottawa home. In Burundian culture Ingoma (drums) are sacred and these Abatimbo (drummers) are spiritually animated by their instruments and the sounds emanating from them. "The drums feed the souls of the drummers and the drummers feed the souls of many to create a communion of the three: drum, drummers, and listeners. Such is the power that Remesha Drums bring with them everywhere they go."

Drums are a source of power indeed historically in Burundi as the Karyenda drum, a symbol of fertility and regeneration, annually marked the inauguration of seeds and the Rukinzo drum, stored in the royal court, was a symbol of power for the King, accompanying him everywhere he went.

The members of Remesha Drums take turns playing the Inkiranya, the central drum, and seamlessly transition between this, dancing, resting, and playing a variety of other drums, producing a continuous show entirely without interruptions. Just as impressive is Remesha Drums' talent of balancing these heavy drums, made from hollow tree trunks and dry cow skins, on their heads while playing, singing, and dancing!

Since 2001, Remesha Drums has played many Canadian venues including the Ottawa Blues Fest, Canadian Tulip Festival, Ottawa Canada Day Festivities, Carlton University, and Les FrancoFolies de Montréal. This August Remesha brings their dynamic drum divertissement to the Afrikadey! Festival here in Calgary. To Remesha Drums Afrikadey! is a festival that "makes us feel unique and promotes our values and culture." Remesha says that togetherness, being "surrounded by other people whose culture is different from us" is their favourite aspect of summer festivals like Afrikadey!

Remesha Drums promises an unforgettable performance full of "enthusiasm, joy, happiness, talent, and love." For more information check out Remesha Drums' videos on Youtube and visit www.myspace.com/remeshadrumscanada.

Tamcoare, a Colombian folk band, was first founded in Montreal by Jorge Linan. After much success in Quebec from 2004-2008, including a slot at the Festival Musique Multi-Montreal in 2007, Jorge decided to move to Calgary and reform the group with local musicians. Since then, with new talent and the same great music, Tamcoare has played GlobalFest, corporate events, private parties, and was involved recently with the Calgary Board of Education's Cultural Heritage Month.

One-third South American First Nations, one-third divish, and one-third African, Tamcoare cooks up an Afro-Colombian musical dish all their own. Tamcoare's African influences show themselves most through the band's drums and rhythms. A large drum, the tambora, conjures up Africa as do rhythms such as the frenetic mapale and melancholic bullerengue.

Another distinguishing characteristic of Tamcoare is their use of the gaita and the guache, unique Native South American instruments played by the Kogi Indians, similar to the flute and the shaker, respectively. Jorge says audiences will be "mesmerized by [our] unique instruments" as well as entertained by the bass, drums, trumpet, euphonium, maracas, and trombones played by Tamcoare's nine members.

Tamcoare values education as one of the purposes of their musical performance and thus the band will teach broad summer festival audiences that South America is "not only salsa!" Colombia has gained its title as the "second happiest country in the world," because every second day a festival is celebrated in some small or large town. In this way Afrikadey! reminds Tamcoare of home and also represents the band's heritage and current mode of expression.

Visit www.myspace.com/tamcoare to learn more about Tamcoare and their upcoming recording project: their first Canadian CD!

Calgary-based good vibes hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire consists of producer DJ Cosm and songwriter/emcee Teekay. This fli partnership had its beginnings at a William Aberhart High School talent show where DJ Cosm, then in Grade 12, first saw Teekay, a year younger, and "recognized there was a lot of talent there to be utilized." The pair got together a few years after graduation and soon thereafter in 2002 their single "Mount Pleasant" was on heavy CBC 3 rotation (it spun 37,000 times to be exact). This song achieved cult popularity and became a universal anthem as, unknown then to Dragon Fli Empire, most major cities have a Mount Pleasant. Thus whether in Toronto or Vancouver, people would come up to DFE saying "Yo, you're doing a song about here? You're not from here!" Speaking of universal anthems, DJ Cosm played Afrikadey! with waving flag K'Naan once before in 2006 and DFE is excited to share the stage with the Somali-Canadian artist in 2010.

Huge fans of Afrobeat, DFE gravitates toward Afrikadey! because of their love of pioneer musicians like Fela Kuti and Manu Dibango. DFE plans to incorporate Kuti and Dibango's music into their Afrikadey! set to "pay tribute to some of the great African performers while presenting our music." One of DJ Cosm's fondest Afrikadey! memories was in 2007 when Dele Sosimi, organist for Egypt '80, covered Fela Kuti's "Water Get No Enemy"; DJ Cosm remembers, "it was riveting." DFE also has ties to Papagroove, another Afrikadey! 2010 artist, as they did a "crazy collaboration" last year at the Folk Fest. Afrikadey! 2010 audiences should also be prepared for DFE's interactive set full of classic hip hop call and response.

DFE released their third full-length album Redefine in 2009, Teekay just released his solo EP The Sunrise Soirée on iTunes, and DJ Cosm plans to release his compilation album Time and Space this summer. DFE tentatively plans to release their fourth full-length album in 2012 to celebrate their tenth anniversary. For more information about Dragon Fli Empire visit www.myspace.com/dragonfliempire, www.facebook.com/dragonfliempire and www.livefromcgy.com, their blog which shows "Calgary through the lens of a hip hop artist."

Fresh off a stellar performance at Quebec's largest world music festival, the internationally renowned Syli d'Or, Bambara Trans is ready to bring their multi-cultural sound explosion to western Canada just in time for summer. Calgarians are in for a special treat when Bambara Trans comes to town as this full-fledged world music orchestra has consistently proven their ability to light up any stage including their recent roof-raising appearance at Montreal's Club Soda.

Promising to take their audience on "A trip around the world." the ethnically diverse ensemble embraces the rhythms and voices of many nations while injecting each melting-pot melody with their own modern groove. Indeed, variety is the spice of life for these talented session and jam musicians who hail from an unlikely combination of musical and cultural backgrounds. Originally formed by Khalil Abouabdelmajid in 2006, BT boasts an impressive roster of players who straddle the globe from Morocco to Nova Scotia, with plenty of French influence thrown in for good measure.

According to the band, their exotic-but-catchy name traces its origins to the sub-Saharan languages of Bambara and the language of Gnawa, with the Trans prefix referring to their own personal transformations as creative individuals who have implemented "cultural fusion" in their lives.

Specialists at immersing themselves in an atmosphere that they describe as one of "Joy and celebration!", these innovative songsmiths can't help but be attracted to Calgary's thriving and ever expanding multicultural demographic. "We are ready to rock Calgary!" they confirm of their upcoming performances. With nfluences raging from soul and funk to traditional African and European influences, Bambara Trans embodies the heartbeat of Canadian music in their vitality and willingness to embrace the many musical wonders that cultures around the world have to offer us.

North and South American elements mingle freely on BT's latest album Kahlouna which resounds with musical expressions that borrow heavily from Arabo-Andalusian, African and Berber roots. Equipped with a powerful horn section, dazzling keyboards, a trance-inducing percussion section and a battery of ethnic instruments all used to achieve their unique sound; Bambara Trans is a world music phenomenon not to be missed.

For more information visit www.myspace.com/bambaratrans

Tsehay Debebe returns to Afrikadey! bringing her keyboardist, dancers, warbling vocals, and passion for exhibiting her Ethiopian roots. Tsehay will sing traditional and modern Ethiopian music, from famous Ethiopian favourites to songs from her first album Yemisrach. Tsehay also plans to have two new songs ready from her upcoming December 2010 album to showcase at Afrikadey!

Tsehay says it is "exciting to be on that stage" at Afrikadey! looking out over the vast crowd knowing she is representing her Ethiopian culture, a unique thread in the African tapestry. Tsehay was born in Ethiopia and moved to Canada in 2006, and has since received numerable accolades. Tsehay was the recipient of the Edmonton Arts Council award for 2010 for her creative approach to her new music and for her involvement in African and local charity events held in 2009 across the city of Edmonton.

Tsehay is currently working in the studio on her second album, a concoction of new generation Ethiopian music, R&B, and the already mixed Canadian culture. A delight to listen to with strong vocals and haunting melodies from her Ethiopian roots, Tsehay is sure to beam and enrapture you on that Afrikadey! stage. For more information, visit www.youtube.com/user/SuperTSEHAY.

Cheryl Foggo, a self-proclaimed "lifelong Calgarian", is deeply interested in her local history, the often untold history of the African-Calgary and African-Alberta communities. Foggo has opened eyes to and shared this history through novels like Pourin' Down Rain, film, theatre, and radio. Currently, Foggo splits her writing time in thirds: she is working on a collection of essays about the Southern Alberta black community; a novel whose "end is in sight" and is a slight (geographical) departure from previous works, being set in Africa and the United States; and the Afrikadey! theatrical adaptation of Chinua Achebe's groundbreaking novel Things Fall Apart. Though tackling a renowned Nigerian work, Foggo still brings it home, noting she heard "echoes of Aboriginal history" while reading Things Fall Apart.

Foggo teases out other relatable threads in the work such as the quest to understand one's role in a regimented society, family relationships, and imbalance. Adapting a novel with 200 characters and a 40 year time span to a stage with nine cast members reading theatrically from stools is a tall order, but one Foggo has delivered with dexterity and creativity. While being admirably faithful to the original, Foggo has temporally compressed the action and unified characters such as the Elders: in Achebe's novel they are many, in Foggo's adaptation three characters represent the Elders' range of issues and temperaments. Keying in on the theme of imbalance, Foggo explores the faltering of both a person and society when the masculine and feminine within are unbalanced. Not imposing her "modern-day sense of feminism on the text", Foggo retains the novel's perspective of women as "part of a man's overall property" and "not afforded the same respect as men". However, Achebe's novel does stress the importance of women in Igbo society and Foggo in the Afrikadey! theatrical adaptation enhances the roles of women in the protagonist Okonkwo's life by increasing the time given to the female perspective. Further gender bending ensues with female actors reading some male character parts. Another unique twist in Foggo's Afrikadey! adaptation is that Okonkwo's three children take on the seminal roles of storytellers. They vacillate between their original Things Fall Apart characters, immersed in plot, and modern young people commenting on the action from the future.

Foggo's writing of this Afrikadey! theatrical adaptation began in October and the work has gone through three on-stage incarnations: two black history month readings at the Calgary Public Library and the University of Calgary, and a Theatre Calgary reading in May. The piece has evolved through each performance and the Afrikadey! reading at the Dutton Theatre in the Central Library 7pm on August 12 will be no different. Expect to be a part of the development of the script: your laughs, breath intakes, applause, and silence will guide the piece into its next phase. Feedback forms post-performance will help Foggo gauge the different reactions of those who have and have not already read Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart. Foggo stresses that it has been an honour to work with this influential text and is excited for it to be read in front of an Afrikadey! audience. The August 12 reading is free, but to reserve your spot please visit www.calgarypubliclibrary.com.

Adejoké Taiwo, designer of fashion line àlalá and top four finalist of Project Runway Canada Season Two, shows her batik fabric designs at the Afrikadey! Opening Gala Monday, August 9, from 7pm to 9:30pm at REPUBLiK (219 17 Ave. SW). Her fashion line àlalá was an extension of a Ryerson University school project and was propelled into the spotlight after Taiwo aired on the high profile television show Project Runway Canada. Taiwo graduated from Ryerson in June 2008, Fed Ex'd her Project Runway Canada application on a whim two days before the deadline, successfully passed a first-round interview (which she thought was simply a conversation), made it through the rest of the application process, and started shooting the show in August 2008. Project Runway Canada served as a platform for àlalá, a women's ready-to-wear line for the office and afterwards, combining African fabrics and modern, tailored cuts. Taiwo finds her inspiration in world cultures and the personal stories of individuals. She strays from literal, my-inspiration-is-the-rainforest themes for fear of parrots adorning blazer shoulders, and prefers more abstract motifs. What distinguishes Taiwo's fashion from her contemporaries' is not her choice of fabric, African prints being very popular in mainstream fashion this season, but the way in which she uses them. Obsessively tailoring designs until they are perfect, Taiwo has bitten off a full mouthful by using 2009 Afrikadey! artist Chief Nike Okundaye’s batik fabrics, but she is up to the challenge.

Chief Nike Okundaye is one of Nigeria's most celebrated visual artists, so adept at batik, an African process of brushing molten wax on cloth and dyeing it, that her works decorate the White House and the Smithsonian Institute. Taiwo, a Nigerian Calgarian, now takes up Nike's torch by designing contemporary masterpieces made wholly of the batik fabrics produced by students of the Nike Art Centre in Nigeria. The accompanying sketches show the exciting collision of the traditional and modern, African and Western. Taiwo admits "the fabrics pulled me in". Throughout the evening models will be wearing Taiwo's designs while standing on platforms scattered throughout REPUBLiK in a maze-like fashion. The audience is encouraged to go up to Taiwo's designs worn by live mannequins, look at the outifts closely, and bid on them in a silent auction. Taiwo envisions the fashion show, when the mannequins become live models, as dramatic, chiaroscurist, and drum-filled.

Taiwo designs and creates custom orders as well as her àlalá line which is being shown August 19th at Higher Ground Café (1126 Kensington Road NW) as an interactive tea party. For more information visit www.adejoke.com and www.facebook.com/alaladreamer. Taiwo is excited to be a part of Afrikadey! 2010 as she volunteered for the festival when she was young and wants, as coincides with our Africa: The Next Generation theme, to get youth involved. Taiwo conjures young Calgary to "open your eyes, open your ears", and be engaged in their community… starting with Afrikadey!

Tickets to the Afrikadey! Opening Gala and Festival are available online at:
www.afrikadey.com/festival/tickets.html.

Simone Saunders has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Alberta. She is an actor, collaborator and writer born and raised in Calgary. Simone is a Founding Ensemble member of Ellipsis Tree Collective (ETC) – the only Blackcentric Theatre Company in Alberta (www.ellipsistree.ca). This August ETC will be producing RUINED by Lynn Nottage at Lunchbox Theatre; a play situated in a brothel in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with centralized themes of war and using rape as a tool of war. This is a must see! Simone has produced Amber Lights, a play she wrote based on the Highway of Tears, as part of Urban Curvz Theatre's Heroines Series. She also wrote, produced and mounted The Premature Burial, an Edgar Allan Poe adaptation that was performed in the Motel Space. Selected acting credits include: Isis & Osiris (Green Fools Theatre), An Ideal Husband (Theatre Calgary), Columbo (Vertigo Theatre), Curvilicious, Thy Neighbour's Wife (Urban Curvz Theatre) which was nominated for Best Production at 2007 Betty Mitchell Awards, Tideline, Candida, Mud, As You Like It, Scenes From An Execution (Studio Theatre, Edmonton), Sprouts, Are We There Yet? (Concrete Theatre, Edmonton), Waiting Time (Stage One- Lunchbox Theatre, Calgary), Hamlet, Wanderlust, Freakshow (Swallow-A-Bicycle Co-op), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare in the Park). Simone directed and collaborated on Weave, an ETC performance at the 10 Minute Play Festival (OYR's High Performance Rodeo), which won Audience Favourite.

Simone Saunders will perform a monologue created at the One Yellow Rabbit's Summer Lab Intensive entitled ELENA, a celebration of her ancestry and her grandmother's life in Jamaica, at the Afrikadey! Opening Gala Monday, August 9th, from 7pm to 9:30pm at REPUBLiK (219 17 Ave. SW). Tickets to the Afrikadey! Opening Gala and Festival are available online at:
www.afrikadey.com/festival/tickets.html

Amara Ijo is a local African dance troupe with a name expressing its six female members' sentiments about the art of movement: Amara Ijo is a blend of the Igbo and Yoruba languages meaning "gift of dance" or "beautiful dance". The composite nature of the group's title mirrors the group itself, being comprised of three women born in Canada, three in Nigeria, half of them Igbo, and half Yoruba. Amara Ijo's fusion dance style is traditional Igbo and Yoruba dance infused with pan-continental African dance. Sometimes, by request, contemporary hip hop with a Caribbean twist is thrown into the amalgam as well. Member Olawumi Adeniyi tells that the music Amara Ijo performs to is Nigerian, Congolese, "anything that sounds good with heavy drums". Adeniyi tells audiences to be prepared for fast, dynamic movement, "nothing too slow", full of choreography, solos, interactivity, and freestyle.

Adeniyi, dancing from the sweet age of four, explains that the 6-member Amara Ijo group, though officially started five years ago, had its earliest beginnings in a local community group, the Nigerian Canadian Association of Calgary, when the women were girls. Now Amara Ijo has evolved into its distinctive style, a mixture of traditional and modern dance, but the group never forgets its cultural roots. Adeniyi says that the reason Amara Ijo's dancers perform is to "show that we're still connected," to "show Nigeria in the spotlight", and to show what Africa has to offer. This they do of their own volition when they can as all of Amara Ijo's members are dedicatedly in school with part time jobs as well. Amara Ijo has taken its dancers to Black History Month celebrations at the University of Calgary, Heritage Day festivities, Canada Day festivities, weddings, and special events. Having been involved with Afrikadey! three times before, Amara Ijo is excited to make it a fourth, performing at our Opening Gala on Monday, August 9th at REPUBLiK (219 17 Ave. SW) 7-9:30pm. Tickets for the gala can be purchased at: www.afrikadey.com/festival/tickets.html

Steeped in the Bamana folklore of his Malian homeland, Bassekou Kouyate is an African instrumentalist of the highest order. Heir to the griot tradition, Bassekou plays the role of oral historian, messenger and musician all at once resulting in a rich and lively listening experience that informs even as it entertains. Bassekou is a renowned virtuoso of the ngoni. A modestly sized four- or seven-stringed African lute, the ngoni is transformed in his capable hands into the voice of an entire nation. Demonstrating impressive versatility, Bassekou improvises his own fingering and picking techniques and even modifies his instrument with wah-wah pedals and extra strings to enhance the range of exotic flavours he can draw from his beloved ngoni.

Together with his jubilant band, Ngoni ba, Bassekou Kouyate utilizes heavy rhythms and undulating grooves to provide a sonic subtext for his capricious musical exploits as his dulcet Malian strings tell a bittersweet tale all their own. Though his first international release Segu Blue won multiple awards in 2007 when it debuted on Out Here Records, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba truly arrived on the doorstep of many world music lovers for the first time with the release of his album I Speak Fula on Sub Pop records this past year. The album was truly brought to life through the power of cooperation as Bassekou invited friends and "fellow experimentalists" kora player Toumani Diabate and guitarist Vieux Farka Toure to contribute their considerable talents to I Speak Fula, with dazzling results.

Able to compliment modern technique with traditional sentiments, Bassekou upholds the cultural values instilled in him as a youngster while exploring the outward expanding sounds of Africa in the twenty-first century. Tapping into his own passion for the new while remaining mindful of the past, Bassekou concludes, "I've never heard criticism or any reaction that was less than positive about these innovations! The old griots, guardians of the ngoni musical tradition, have congratulated me for bringing attention to this music, which was starting to die out".

Basking in the glow of I Speak Fula's international success, ngoni superstar Bassekou Kouyate and his vivacious band Ngoni ba are primed and ready to bring their live show to Calgary audiences at this year's Afrikadey! Festival. Based on a playful tune about the Bamana and the Fula peoples, the theme of Bassekou's new album celebrates his affection for Fula music and a local style called Koreduga in particular. A signal for Malians that "it's time to let their hair down, dance and enjoy", Koreduga music is party music for the whole village. Winner of the 2008 BBC3 award for Album of the Year & African Artist of the Year, Bassekou Kouyate's skillful string playing and Ngoni ba's high-octane performances hold appeal for all ages and persuasions. Expressing the spirit of openness and tolerance, this music of the griots shares Afrikadey!'s vision of building bridges to mutual understanding and appreciation.

Join us at the August 9 Opening Gala to see Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni ba's only Afrikadey! performance. Tickets for the gala can be purchased at: www.afrikadey.com/festival/tickets.html

7-member Congolese band Cinarc had its beginnings in the country's capital Kinshasa and for ten years has entertained at festivals, weddings, NGO fundraisers, parties, and churches. This August Afrikadey! brings the traditional musicians to Canada for the first time. Cinarc will perform songs from their Elekeli Ngai album with lyrics in French, English, Portuguese, and their native Lingala. Congo folk dancing will accompany piano keys, bass strings, vocal vibrations, and drum skins. In fact, Cinarc claims that theirs is "vibration music more than everybody in the world." Audiences should prepare to laugh during comic interludes and move their bodies as "everybody will be crazy for dancing".

Uzoma Uponi has always wanted to write and after a series of writing courses and a mountain of unfinished work, she has finally tailored her craft and completed a leviathan: her very first novel. ColourBLIND was published a mere month ago on the 17th of June and is a classic romance tale set in contemporary Lagos and Delta State, Nigeria. A quintessential love story across social strata, ColourBLIND charts Kenny Ojiefi's struggle to convince his affluent family to accept Zola, a lower-class adoptee, as his love.

What makes this old story fresh is the modern African culture and tradition that is interwoven into the text. Uponi shows the African conception of marriage as "between two towns, countries, continents even", not just between individuals.

With this novel Uponi aims to fill a void in bookstore shelves, the lack of African fiction "written by Africans about life in modern-day Africa", as compared to the shelves packed with texts "about Africa's politics and crime and poverty" and works written by African-Americans.

ColourBLIND is set against a Christian backdrop, but is not "preachy preachy". The novel does have a moral aim in mind, however. In it Uponi attacks the undue stigma of adoption, having a protagonist – Zola – who had her start as an infant thrown into a garbage and subsequently rescued by an orphanage. Uponi is "really excited to be part of the Afrikadey! celebrations" and will be selling and signing her novel at Prince's Island Park on August 14. ColourBLIND is also available in Calgary at ZyMatt Books (403-971-5593) and online at www.essencebookstore.com

Literary lovers unite! The Afrikadey! Festival 2010 will include Lynette Joseph-Bani and her book The Biblical Journey of Slavery: From Egypt to the Americas. On August 14 at Prince's Island Park Joseph-Bani will be reading from her hot-off-the-press text, signing copies, and selling them to Afrikadey! patrons. Joseph-Bani, a life-long fashion designer, had a revelation reading not Revelations but Deuteronomy, and became a writer. Having grown up in the church with her father as a preacher, Joseph-Bani was floored when, as an adult, she read Deut. 28:48-68, a passage where Moses tells the Israelites that if they do not obey the laws of God they will be sent away as slaves in ships. Joseph-Bani had never heard anything about slavery as depicted in the Bible before, felt that this description was coincidentally quite similar to the modern Atlantic slave trade, and wondered "how come nobody ever preached about this?". Joseph-Bani notes "it's there in the Bible… and everyone has a Bible" so why does no one talk about this?

After twelve years of historical research, biblical research and writing, Joseph-Bani aims with The Biblical Journey of Slavery "to familiarize readers about the slave trade as portrayed in scripture from Egypt to present time". Joseph-Bani views this issue through a historical lens, having heavily consulted texts like The Encyclopedia Britannica, The Bible as History, Archaeology and the Bible, and From Babylon to Timbuktu. That said, she also takes the religious view that the modern Atlantic slave trade was a Biblical prophecy. Her Deuteronomy revelation "made [her] believe the Bible more and believe the preachers less". Joseph-Bani is currently affiliated with no organized religious house as she "doesn’t have the appetite for deception". One trend Joseph-Bani finds interesting is that no matter the enslaver, be they the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greek, Romans, or English, when they enslaved they were world powers and they always enslaved the same families of people: Africans. Her goal is to unearth the often untalked-about Biblical theme of slavery as related to Africa because "everybody deserves to know the history of Africa".

Frankie Joe Rukundo began singing when he was a little boy, as a street performer in Uganda. His style evolved into a smooth R&B groove, sometimes Caribbean-infused and Frankie released his first single, Rozine, a song about "a pretty African lady", in 2004 in Rwanda. Since 2004 Frankie has enjoyed the success of 5 number ones in Rwanda and now is expanding into East Africa and Canada with the help of renowned Kenyan producer Robert "RKay" Kamanzi. Having married a Canadian, Frankie moved to Calgary from Rwanda last year in March and since has performed at Montreal's annual Rwandese Convention and Celebration, the Uganda-focused charity SSUBI's Bootyfest, and a University of Calgary professional series with Michèle Moss.

Normally singing solo, Frankie will bring a special set to Afrikadey! with a three-piece band. The songs of Frankie's recently recorded album "Alive to Love" will be flushed out with Cuban congas, bass and guitar. Frankie is particularly excited to play Afrikadey! because representing Africa is "something close to me, close to my heart". He explains, "everyone knows Rwanda as a country of blood and massacres", but Frankie wants to show it's more than that: Rwanda has "come from far and is going far". Having been asked if he had a lion as a pet in Africa, Frankie also sees Afrikadey! as a valuable tool of education for Calgarians.

Audiences should expect a fusion music style from Frankie that is super catchy. In fact, Frankie says "if you don't dance, something's wrong with you". His lyrics in five languages (Kinyarwanda, Lugunda, Kirundi, Swahili, and English), Frankie will engage with everyone: from "19 year-olds to 91 year-olds". For more information on Frankie Joe Rukundo and his music visit www.myspace.com/frankjoerukundo.

Floating like a butterfly and stinging like a scorpion, Senegal's Toumany Kouyate is an accomplished master of the kora, an African harp equipped with two dozen busily buzzing strings. In fact, his debut recording was entitled Bountalo, identifying his fiery, quick and decisive instrumental work with the Mandingo word for scorpion.

Raised with a healthy respect and love of music, Toumany began practicing his art at the young age of five, when he first began learning to play different instruments under the tutelage of his father and kora-playing uncle. Indeed, music was a family pursuit during his childhood spent between Senegal and Guinea and he has many fond memories of all his relatives singing and playing along together. Eventually, Toumany immigrated to Montreal, Quebec where he became known for his performances with his band Takadja. Through these creative enterprises Toumany came to be introduced to the Cirque du Soleil people who quickly identified him as a valuable cultural import. Toumany now makes his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he has lived for nearly two decades, performing full-time with the world renowned Cirque du Soleil as a vocalist, kora-player and percussionist. A show-stealing soloist in his own right, Toumany still often performs with loyal friends like Karamoko Kouyate and Youssou Seck.

Returning to Canada once more, Toumany looks forward to bringing his unique and dynamic sounds to Calgary.

"I've done festivals with Takadja before, but now with a full time job, I can't wait to start again", says an enthusiastic Toumany. "I want to continue to do it, to get involved with festivals, to be able to get to know the people and to let the people get to know me! My music embodies joy and happiness; I try to provide everything a listener could need".

Whetting Calgarians' appetites for the full main stage Afrikadey! show on Saturday August 14th on Prince's Island, Toumany will be one of several musicians in attendance at Afrikadey!'s Opening Gala on August 9th at the Republik night club. Adding his melodic strings to a line-up that will include spoken-word and dance performances, a fashion show and tasty African appetizers, he looks forward to interacting with his audience as he slips back into the summer festival atmosphere.

"Tunde is a friend of mine from a long time ago", confirms Toumany of his links to our city and Afrikadey! Artistic Director Tunde Dawodu in particular. "He helped me to get a few contacts going before I got to the U.S., and I'm excited to reconnect with him and help to promote Afrikadey! It's a great opportunity".

Visit Toumany's website @ www.toumanykouyate.com

Trendy Strands was birthed to showcase the natural beauty of African women everywhere. We do this by giving her fun, creative ways to showcase her style and take care of her hair. To that end, we've created fashion forward, contemporary African clothing and a wide selection of natural hair care products.

In our clothing designs, African fabrics are on the main stage with beautiful and vibrant "Ankara" and "Adire" prints from Nigeria and "Akosombo" prints from Ghana. Our unique designs highlight the versatility of African prints from casual summer tops, to cocktail and evening dresses.

Afrikadey! Opening Gala attendees will be in for a treat, as they've probably never seen African clothing quite like these. There will be something for the fashionista in all of us... casual summer tops, dresses for all occasions and even this season's biggest hits… maxi and midi dresses. We will also be unveiling designs for our new season that will incorporate delicate African embroidery in day dresses to be worn with leggings or jeans. And because we know beautiful African women come in all shapes and sizes, you’ll be pleased to see we have a wide selection of designs from size 2 to 22.

Trendy Strands focuses on authenticity and community giving and as such, all our designs are immaculately sewn by African tailors and 5% of every dress purchased goes towards helping a child in Africa.

A veritable algebra equation, RTC + MFive = Swing State. RTC and MFive are musical groups in their own rights but when they join forces, a euphonious blending of full-sounding instruments and melodic hip hop called Swing State is born. RTC is comprised of 4 young musicians whose axes of choice are the drums, the bass, the guitar and the keyboard. RTC hooked up with vocal MFive at the Toast N' Jam Youth Music Festival.

MFive is a family affair: brothers, sisters and cousins. Sisters Grace and Belinda, MFive's "two angels", hold down the melodic vocals while Vince and cousins Jay and Sephora provide lyrical raps. The emotional depth of MFive's lyrics springs from its members' tumultuous upbringing. The Musaka family began growing up in Congo but, because of rumors of political insurrection, they were thrown out of the country and became refugees in Bangkok, Thailand. MFive describes their time in Bangkok as very trying, "a life in limbo, with no money, waiting for a country to accept them." Vince Musaka notes that this arduous period "replenished [his] writing skills". Now residents of Calgary, MFive is excited to share their message of hope through music as they have already done at Sled Island and Fort Calgary's Canada Day celebrations. Unlike other hip hop acts who "just want the beat to be heard", MFive's mantra is "the melody says it all".

MFive can't wait to play Afrikadey! and feels proud to represent their homeland, a validating honour as previously people have denied them an African identity because they grew up outside the continent. For more information on MFive visit www.myspace.com/musaka5. Catch MFive on August 11 at "Les Français d’Afrique" at Alliance Française and Swing State on the August 14 Prince's Island Park stage.