Ghanian reggae star, Black Prophet and Mauritanian singer-songwriter Daby Touré have been added to Africa Oyé‘s 25th Anniversary festival line-up.
Following the addition of Julian Marley to the bill, the UK’s largest FREE celebration of African and Caribbean music and culture, taking place on 17th and 18th June in Liverpool’s Sefton Park, has now strengthened its reggae representation with Ghana’s own Black Prophet.
Returning to Liverpool after an acclaimed set at Oyé in 2013, Prophet describes himself as an ‘African roots rock reggae singer/songwriter’ from Accra, and his music is a mixture of traditional percussion blended with elements of Jamaican Reggae and a hint of rock.
He has been influenced by the music of his time growing up in Ghana and sings in African dialects Twee and Ga. His band is drawn from all corners of the world, including artists from Indonesia, Germany, Ghana and Holland, giving Black Prophet’s music a genuine ‘World Music’ vibe.
Photo: Brian Roberts
Daby Touré, who first played Oyé in 2004, is a musical and linguistic polyglot who creates an elegant sonic mixture that merges the linguistic inflections of the six languages he speaks. His music is a puzzle whose pieces, once assembled, form a comprehensive map of the world. It builds bridges between cultures, crossing borders and gives life to a poetic language and a universal sound.
Born in Mauritania, a country in the Maghreb region of West Africa, Daby says, “All the traditional music I picked up when I was young is still in me and that doesn’t change. But in my music I am still searching, and mixing, and trying things and that’s what I am doing now. I have travelled far from the ‘traditional’ or ‘folkloric’ music of my country.”
Prophet and Touré round off the anniversary alumni returning to Oye this year with the ‘Oye Introduces’ lineup set to be announced next week, which will showcase two up-and-coming Merseyside acts.
Alongside the main stage of live music, the Oyé Village will be providing the public with a variety of world foods, workshops, dance classes, traders and DJs and more. Lots of child-friendly entertainment will once again be on-site so festival-goers can bring the whole family along.
Africa Oyé will take place on 17th and 18th June in Sefton Park, from 12:30pm till 9:30pm on both days and entry is FREE. For more information on Oyé and its associated events, please visit africaoye.com.
Acts Announced
Mokoomba (Zimbabwe)
Julian Marley & The Uprising (Jamaica)
Jupiter & Okwess International (DR Congo)
Dobet Gnahoré (Côte d’Ivoire)
Dizzy Mandjeku & Odemba OK Allstars (DR Congo)
Black Prophet (Ghana)
Bonga (Angola)
Daby Touré (Mauritania)
Diabel Cissokho (Senegal)
HAJAmadagascar & The Groovy People (Madagascar)
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