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Afrikadey! Festival

Calgary's Afrikadey! is a week-long celebration of the music, food, dance, theatre, film, literature and visual arts of Africa and her descendant cultures.

• Event Type: Arts and Culture
• Content: Multimedia / Interactive
• Years Running: 20
• 2011 Date: August 8th to 13th
• Location: All over Calgary - Indoor / Outdoor
• Main event: Outdoor music show on Prince's Island Park
• Artistic Director: Tunde Dawodu
• Media Contact: Andrea Llewellyn (andrea@afrikadey.com)

The Afrikadey! Arts & Culture Society

The Afrikadey! Arts & Culture Society was created 20 years ago by artistic director Tunde Dawodu. The society shares the rich creative works of African cultures - from the continent and throughout the Diaspora - with Canadians of all ages and from all walks of life. We create and stage events year round that bring these artistic traditions to vibrant, joyous life for audiences who might otherwise not get to experience them.

AFRIKADEY!  2011 July Media Release

20 Years of AFRIKADEY! 

For two decades Afrikadey!  has been Western Canada ‘s premiere festival showcasing world music with African roots to Calgarians and visitors alike.

To celebrate 20 years of growth, AFRIKADEY! 2011 invites you to experience the vibrant and rich cultures of Africa in this week long celebration of food, music, dance, theatre, film, literature and visual arts of Africa and her descendant cultures. This year’s festival will be filled with famous faces, unique cultural events and compelling performances. 

The main event will be Saturday, August 13th, 2011 at Prince’s Island Park. To celebrate our continuous presence, we have invited Grammy award winning afro-soul singer Angélique Kidjo, Juno award winning hip hop artist Shad, internationally renown African chanteuse Nomfusi, and Ara the Queen of African drums among many other popular contemporary artists.

But don’t forget, from August 8 - 12th the festival will present events across Calgary including:

• A symposium about our roles for change in Africa and the world with festival headliners such as Angélique Kidjo in attendance.
• Africa United film at the Plaza, a road trip film through the heart of Africa. Great for families, the film   focuses on the adventure of three Rwandan orphans as they set off to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, to audition for the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup. 
• Youth concert featuring performances by top contenders of Afrikadey! 2011 Creative Youth Showcase.
• Noon and evening performances by Canadian and international singers, musicians and other performers. 

For details on the weekday events, see the festival schedule at www.afrikadey.com

During the week, the top highlight will definitely be the Opening Gala and Concert at the Republik nightclub on August 8^th. The night will feature Saharan blues band Etran Finatawa, accompanied by African food, film, dance, and fashion. Tickets to this event will also include entrance to the Saturday, August 13^th festivities at Prince’s Island Park. 

With all this excitement, we cannot forget our roots. The AFRIKADEY! Arts & Culture Society must recognize our creator and artistic director Tunde Dawodu. For 20 years Tunde has been responsible for bringing many artists from around the world and local talent from Canada to participate in our arts and culture festival. Afrikadey! shares with the community this important milestone and goes all out to celebrate being a part of Calgary’s tradition.  

We look forward to celebrating with you, 

AFRIKADEY! Arts & Culture Society

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For media interviews and more information contact: 

Andrea Llewellyn
Marketing and Promotions Coordinator

Afrikadey! Arts and Culture Society

email: pr@afrikadey.com

phone: 1.403.234.9110

www.afrikadey.com

Logo & Pictures

Afrikadey! Arts & Culture Society Logo

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Artistic Director Tunde Dawodu

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