Canada: Habari Africa Festival announces 2021 line-up

The annual festival, which is the brainchild of the Batuki Music Society in Toronto, Canada, celebrates the uniqueness, wealth and diversity of African music. It features both Canada-based and international artists.

Other confirmed acts include Adama Daou (Mali), Alpha Rhythm Roots (Guinea), Blandine (DRC), Della Hayes & Women of Colour Band (Ghana), Dieufaite Charles (Haiti), Donald Dogbo (Ivory Coast), Garmi Mint Abba (Mauritania), Gloria Gift Nankunda (Uganda), Lorraine Klaasen (South Africa) and Mamy Kanouté (Senegal), among others.

“The transition from a live audience to a virtual one has presented some challenges for our organisation to adapt to the new situation,” Batuki Music Society artistic director Nadine McNulty told Music In Africa.

“This is a new environment for many of us because we lost many performances spaces and support systems that come along with producing regular live events. It was challenging to find appropriate venues that could accommodate social distancing, technical gear and staffing.”

She added: “We are learning new skill sets to continue to present our activities in the virtual world. Some artists who performed with their usual band have adopted performing solo or in smaller ensembles or an acoustic setting. This has given them a sense of creativity and new direction for future work.”

Last year’s edition was also streamed online with performances by African musicians, including Hassan El Hadi (Morocco), Daniel Nebiat (Eritrea), Amanie Illfated (South Sudan) and Kader Tarhanine (Mali/Niger).

The performances for the 2021 Habari Africa Festival will begin at 2am CAT. Watch the festival on the Batuki Music Society YouTube channel.