Afrikadey! celebrates Calgary’s musical diversity

By Jason Herring, August 6 2015 —

Now entering its 24th year, Afrikadey! is returning to downtown Calgary from August 5–8. The festival, which culminates in a day of music at Prince’s Island Park on August 8, offers Calgarians the opportunity to explore African culture they otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to.

Marketing director Megan Miles says the festival’s main goal is to celebrate the city’s diversity while helping people discover a new realm of music.

“We’re really trying to achieve a cross-cultural understanding and we’re trying to express the diversity here in Calgary,” Miles says. “There’s a lot of festivals these days, but no one else covers African music. So even if you don’t know the artists, after the event you’ll be really excited to find out and discover more about their music and similar music.”

Afrikadey! returns to Prince’s Island Park August 5–8. // Grant Neufeld

The main event is on Saturday, when Afrikadey! fills Prince’s Island Park with visual art, vendors, food and live music. The musical side of the day is headlined by Rocky Dawula, a Ghanaian reggae artist and humanitarian. Miles says she’s excited for both Dawula’s music and the politically-charged aspects of his performance.

“Rocky Dawula has a really interesting background. When he grew up, there was a lot of [social and political] unrest in Ghana,” Miles says. “All of his music is politically powered and he’s really well-educated, which you can hear in the music. I’m really excited to feel his energy.”

Sociopolitical awareness is a large part of Afrikadey!, and the backgrounds of the artists brought to the festival reflects this. One of these artists is Afro-pop musician Hawa Hunt, who grew up in Sierra Leone in the midst of a civil war. Hunt’s music is filled with messages of unity and peace, and she hosts an annual event to raise money to feed impoverished youth in her home nation.

In addition to the main event, Afrikadey! is presenting free concerts throughout downtown leading up to August 8. Acts performing include veteran Cameroonian guitarist Nya Soleil, who is playing at ContainR in Sunnyside on August 6, and Bata Osun, a Yoruba traditional drumming group who are performing on Stephen Avenue on August 7.

Securing acts like these takes a long time. Part of the process involved artistic director Tunde Dawodu traveling to Africa to scout out musicians to bring to the festival.

While music is the main component of Afrikadey!, Miles says there’s plenty of other offerings at the festival.

“We have children’s area, we have expos and workshops, we have a community area where you can sell or buy African goods. And we have some really good food venues as well, which are all African-based so you get to try some really good meals,” Miles says. “It’s diverse enough that you’re gonna find something that sparks your interest. Go in with an open mind and I think you’ll leave really satisfied.”

Tickets for Afrikadey! are $20 for students when purchased online. For more information on Afrikadey!, visit afrikadey.com