Schedule

OPENING GALA & CONCERT 6:00pm | $40 
(price includes complimentary access to Prince’s Island Park) 

As the theme for Afrikadey! this year is the Rhythm of Change, let’s change up your Monday night. I mean, the usual is great – takeout, Jeopardy, feet up on the couch – but Afrikadey! has got something in store on August 8 that is bound to get you off the sofa: our Opening Gala! You’ll still get fed – a fantastic array of African appetizers await – but your feet will undoubtedly be on the floor. Percussionist Luis Tovar will get your toes tapping, and Etran Finatawa, a unique Saharan blues band from Niger, West Africa, will get you full on rug-cutting. Jazz poet Malcolm Mooney will lend his words to the evening, a colourful fashion show will dazzle the clothing connoisseurs among you, and dance performances will inspire your own boogying. And don’t worry, your intellect will still be stimulated. Who needs Alex Trebek when Dr. Nic David will be presenting 13 Months of Sukur, a fascinating ethnographic film about the Sukur people of Nigeria’s Mandara Mountains? 

All of this – did you count the performers? – plus free entry to the August 13 all-day celebrations on Prince’s Island Park for a mere $40! Tickets can be purchased online or at the Afrikadey! Festival Office (1B 1640 - 16th Avenue NW).

6pm, August 8, 2011 at Republik Nightclub (219, 17 Ave SW). Be there or be… well, you know, a couch potato. 

Film Synopsis: 13 Months of Sukur 

This ethnographic film shows the complete seasonal round of the Sukur people of Nigeria's Mandara Mountains. It does so from the perspective of cultural landscape, showing how their technology, society and ideology as expressed in ceremonies interact with their mountain environment to produce a landscape that is inherited, maintained and always in process of becoming.

Here is a preview of the film: 13 Months of Sukur 

“AFRICA UNITED” 7:00pm | $9 (kids) / $12 (adults) | Plaza Theatre 
Presented in Partnership with AIDS Calgary 

Take a road trip through the heart of Africa without leaving central Calgary. Presented by Afrikadey! in partnership with AIDS Calgary, Africa United, a film directed by Debs Gardner-Paterson, charts the journey of three Rwandan children through Rwanda, Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Fabrice, Dudu, and Beatrice are on an epic quest to audition for the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup. The children encounter many speed bumps on their adventure such as refugee camps, the sex trade, wild animals, the elements, and gun-wielding thugs. In the face of such perils, the children succeed with optimism, creativity, and perseverance; but, most importantly, they do it together in the ‘ubuntu’ spirit. 

Join us for the Afrikadey! special screening of this film on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, 7pm, at the Plaza Theatre (1133 Kensington Road NW), but wait there will also be a second screening on Sunday, August 14th, at 3pm. 

Tickets are $12 for adults and $9 for youth. These can be bought at the door or on the www.afrikadey.com tickets page. 

NOON CONCERT  
Ara Queen of the Drums | 12:00pm | FREE | Cathedral Church of the Redeemer 

Ara, Queen of the Drums, is a mystical enigma. This world renown drummer, dancer/ choreographer, and beautiful Afrosoul singer, will have you in awe. With Ara’s mystique Afrikadey! will continue to infuse your lunch hours with free, virtuoso African music this year, though the location has changed. Bring your nosh to the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer (corner of 7th Ave. and 1st St. SE) 12pm on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 for an hour of free entertainment. Her lively performance will bring everyone to their feet, she is a Queen after all. 


 

CREATIVE YOUTH CONCERT  
7:00pm | By Donation | Arrata Centre 

Angélique Kidjo. Shad. Nomfusi. Huge stars, but they were kids once. Who knows what future divas, conscious rappers, and Afro-soul singers are sitting behind desks today in Calgary’s schools. Afrikadey! aimed to find out through the Black History Month’s Creative Youth Showcase. Now experience the top contenders again – Naomi Mahdere, Neilinder Saini, Ali Abubaker, Sykologist and Ringo, and Amelia Craig – as they perform in our emerging talent concert. Talent scouts be on the lookout: the next K’naan may be right in front of you.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 7pm, Arrata Opera Center (1315, 7 Street SW), pay what you can. 

NOON CONCERT | Nomfusi 

12:00pm | FREE | Olympic Plaza 

She’s back: the petite lady with the massive voice. Join us at Olympic Plaza (Macleod Trail and 7th Avenue S) to be awed by South African soulstress Nomfusi at our noon hour concert Thursday, August 11, 2011. Get a free taste of the act she’ll be putting on at Prince’s Island Park August 13, but see her up close and personal – think MTV unplugged, but outdoors and with your lunch. 

DANCE PERFORMANCE: Vancouver’s IGORO DANCERS with the OGEDENGBE DRUMMERS 

7:00pm | $10 | Arrata Opera Centre 

Ballet is lovely, delicate, and graceful. African dance can be as well, but may be more well known for intricate footwork, dynamic arm swings, and rotating pelvises. To put it simply:  you’ve never fallen asleep while watching it, have you? So come – dance buffs and ballet fearers – to witness the complexity, exuberance, and many kinds of African dance Thursday, August 11, 2011, 7pm at the Arrata Opera Center (1315, 7 Street SW). Local dance troupes will perform alongside the Igoro Dancers, a West African dance group from Vancouver and the Ogedengbe Drummers.

This evening of rhythm and motion will cost $10 at the door. 

NOON CONCERT | Ara Queen of the Drums & Ogedengbe Drummers 

12:00pm | FREE | Stephen Avenue Mall 

Do you remember that rumbling thunder you heard coming round the corner to Olympic Plaza last summer, the impromptu parade of Burundi drummers pounding, jumping, and singing? How about the hypnotic kora-playing of Toumany Kouyate on Stephen Avenue when the rain was pouring in sheets, but audiences still congregated, spellbound, under their umbrellas? Afrikadey! will continue to infuse your lunch hours with free, virtuoso African music.

This year, you can look forward to another performance with Ara - Queen of the Drums who will once again have you on your feet.Bring your nosh to Stephen Avenue on the corner of 1st street SW(by Winners) 12pm on Friday, August 12, 2011 for an hour of free entertainment. 

DANCE WORKSHOP WITH IGORO DANCERS: 

7:00 pm | $20 | Arrata Centre 

So You Think You Can Dance may have inspired you to learn a little jazz, some contemporary, or the Lindy Hop. Your partner may have dragged (or you your partner) to a few salsa lessons, or maybe the tango. Then you saw Amara Ijo at last year’s Afrikadey! Opening Gala, or some African dancing on Youtube. One word: wow. 

Wanna learn? Your chance is here: be a part of the Afrikadey! African dance workshop on Friday, August 12. And have no fear: whether your bedroom mirror has been the only audience member to your dancing or if you have performed for thousands, these workshops are for everyone! Join your fellow African dance enthusiasts at the Arrata Opera Center (1315, 7 Street SW) at 7pm for an education of a lifetime that costs only $20. 

CHANGING AFRICA: MY ROLE - SYMPOSIUM: 

7:00 pm | FREE | Calgary Public Library | Central Branch | New Main Floor 

Presented in partnership with the Calgary Public Library

Growth is painful, change unnerving.  It is more comfortable to stay in the same job, relationship, or life that you have been in for many years, or months.  But change is all around us and we must learn to adapt and seize the opportunities of our in-flux world.  The economic downturn is just one example of how life as we know it can flip on a dime.  Africa is no different: political, social, and economic dynamics are constantly being refashioned. 

Come to the "Changing Africa: My Role" symposium, presented by Afrikadey! in partnership with the Calgary Public Library, to hear what our artists Angelique Kidjo, Shad, Nomfusi, Ara Queen of the Drums have to say about the positions people must play, in Canada and beyond, to working towards a better life for people in Africa.  Be a part of the intimate dialogue with question and answer periods; pick the brains of these fantastic artists.

Other inspiring speakers include Sheri Hatton and her 6 yearold son Mikiyas, as well as James Nguen, University of Calgary alumni and refugee student. 

7pm, Friday, August 12, 2011 on the (update) new mainfloor of the Calgary Public Library’s Central Branch, 616 Macleod Trail SE).  Admission is free.

WARM-UP PARTY: with Joaquin Diaz 

9:00 pm | FREE | Vicious Circle 

Limber up for Saturday’s all-day celebrations at Prince’s Island Park with the warm-up party featuring Joaquin Diaz. And we’re not just talking muscles: Joaquin Diaz will “not only move your body and feet, but your heart and soul as well” (Juan Tejeda, co-founder of the International Accordion Festival San Antonio Texas).

Get your blood flowing with upbeat merengue-style music, from traditional songs to Diaz’s own. Join us at Vicious Circle (1011 1 Street Southwest) Friday, August 12, 2011 at 8pm. Entry is by donation. 

Prince's Island becomes Africa! | MAIN EVENT 
Prince’s Island Park | 10:00am -10:00pm
 

Tickets: Free for Kids 12 & under, and Seniors 65+ | $25 (Adults) $20 (Youth/Students)

On Saturday, August 13, 2011, a small island in the middle of an Albertan oil capital transforms into heat, rhythm, soul: Africa. Join us at Prince’s Island Park for the climax of the Afrikadey! Festival, a celebration of African art and culture. Introduce yourself to Africa, if you haven’t done so already. Meet its mouth-watering food, beautiful crafts, and talented performers.

For Afrikadey! veterans, the following description will conjure up memories of festivals past; for newbies, it is a brief synopsis of the spectacular showcase. Impromptu cultural entertainment will spring up in the grass between our mind-blowing main stage acts: Angélique Kidjo, Shad and Nomfusi. Hand-made African wares will be sold in the international marketplace as well as delicious African food. Dances will be had, feet will be tapped, and you will probably meet quite a character or ten!

Admission is free for children under 12 and adults over 65. Adult tickets are $25 and youth/student tickets are $20.

Tickets can be bought online, at the Afrikadey! Festival Office (1B 1640 - 16th Avenue NW, phone: 403-234-1990), or at the following locations: Inner Sleeve, 100% Legit, Mayfair Foods, Universal Hair Salons, and Sloth Records. Groups of 10 or more can save 15% if tickets are purchased at the Afrikadey! Festival Office. 

 MAIN STAGE & GROUND ENTERTAINMENT 

10:00 AM Drum Circle 

NOON Creative Youth 

12:45 PM Moyeen 

1:00 PM Dynamq 

1:15 PM MFive 

1:45 PM Koffi 

2:30 PM Mitsho 

3:00 PM Malcolm 

3:30 PM Ara 

4:00 PM Amara Ijo** 

4:15 PM Zale Seck 

5:30 PM Nomfusi Gotyana 

6:00 PM South Sudan Group** 

6:45 PM Shad 

7:45 PM Ogendegbe Drummers** 

8:00 PM Angélique Kidjo 

9:15 PM Joaquin Diaz 

** - Ground Entertainment

AFTER-PARTY WITH DYNAMQ 

Sunset and Vine Nightclub 

10:30 pm | Tickets: Free for Women before 11pm 

$10 for Prince’s Island Ticket Holders 

$15 for non-ticket holders 

After the day time celebration why say good bye? Party with us late into the night with top international performers like Dynamq, a strong reggae influenced Sudanese performer, and Roda a rapper with a fierce rhythm flowing through her veins. Afterwards enjoy the pumped up dance beats of locals Dj Cheeks and Dj NewBoi as we say good bye to Afrikadey! through a celebration of dancing and music at the Sunset and Vine Pub and Eatery (2220 - 68th Street NE). 

Tickets are $10 for Afrikadey! ticket holders, $15 for non-ticket holders, and free for women before 11pm. Buy them online through www.afrikadey.com, at the Afrikadey! Festival Office (#1B 1640 - 16th Avenue NW, phone: 403-234-1990) or at Da Blue Nile