Wiyaala to play Dutch African fest

The festival, which was established in 2008, brings stars from Africa to the European city yearly.

An official statement from the festival says the event creates “opportunities for collaboration in The Hague cultural sector, providing visibility of African musicians and visual artists in The Hague and the surrounding region. In addition, the festival creates opportunities for new cultural offerings in The Hague.”

As it celebrates a decade of providing a slice of African culture to its European audience, The Hague African Festival will feature acts new to the festival and ones that have graced its stage over the past 10 years. Ghana’s Wiyaala, Cameroon-Dutch singer Ntjam Rosie, Cape Verde’s Tabanka, Senegal’s Oké Sène and SoulDia as well as Netherlands-based act Amartey will all take to the main stage, which has been branded the Wakanda Podium after the Marvel feature picture Black Panther. It will be located at the Zuiderparktheater in The Hague.

The festival had previously announced Sierra Leonean group Refugee All Stars as one of its performers this year but that was cancelled following travel difficulties.

“The difficult visa situation in Sierra Leone sadly became the impossible visa situation, and for the time being, the very wonderful Sierra Leone Refugee Allstars will not be able to perform,” the festival organisers said.

Besides featuring established musicians at previous editions, The Hague African Festival has provided a platform for non-professional acts seeking an audience. It has used an “amateur podium” to promote “groups with an African background based in The Hague” and “built up contacts with various amateur bands and other talents who are looking for a platform to present themselves”.

The amateur podium will be occupied by 12 acts who were successful after submitting a recording of a performance or practice session. The festival will also showcase a number of films from the African continent.

For more information visit the official festival website.