I attended Africa Oyé Festival in Liverpool and created a plenary poem capturing what I absorbed from the artists. There was a vibrant array of African musical performances, craft stalls and activities over two days .
Africa Oyé Festival is the largest celebration of live African music in the UK. Originally a smaller, multi-venue event, Oyé now attracts over fifty thousand people every June to Liverpool’s Sefton Park.
I managed to have a chat with visionary musician Rocky Dawuni, artist maganager and DJ Geli Berg and super inspiring designer Tayamika Mahachi. Take a listen to the audio interviews, the poem I created and join the conversation…
TAKE A LISTEN HERE OR PLAY THE PLAYER BELOW
Photos included Sona Jobarteh, Geli Berg, Marema and the festival site.
BIOGRAPHIES
Rocky Dawuni
Rocky Dawuni is a Ghanaian singer and songwriter who performs his signature ‘Afro Roots’ sound which is a mixture of Reggae, Afrobeat, Highlife and soul music. He currently lives between Ghana and Los Angeles.
Find out more www.rockydawuni.com
Geli Berg
Of Peruvian, British and Scandinavian heritage, Geli began writing poetry and character cameos as a child and had her first poem published in the Manchester Evening News when she was eight years old. She studied English Language and Literature at Manchester University and then worked as a copywriter and PR, putting her own creative writing on hold. She became a Bossa Nova singer at age 30 and soon found herself translating original Portuguese lyrics into English. This subsequently led her to return to poetry and songwriting.
Connect with Geli on Linkedin HERE
Petronella Tayamika Mahachi
Petronella Tayamika Mahachi is the founder and creative director of Tayamika.
The award-winning designer is a human rights activist and a Trustee for Leading Support for Humanity (LSFH). She is also the Creative Director for BASAL T4B a Social enterprise fashion brand.
The designer known as Taya is a recipient of a fashion design competition award. She loves to make unique designs that embrace individuality. She believes her purpose is to make people look and feel good. She takes inspiration from around the world, history, art and her cultural heritage. Brand Tayamika values ethically and socially sustainable practices.
See her work www.tayamika.com
TAKE ACTION
Get ready for next year www.africaoye.com
Storybooking 