37th International Nights of Africa Festival | women of the world

The return of the energetic Angélique Kidjo, a visit from Yemi Alade on an outdoor stage, a Brazilian party with Paulo Ramos and his friends, Sophie Lukacs and Sona Jobarteh, the next International Festival Nuits d’Afrique offers an enticing line-up. A look at the program unveiled on Tuesday.

It is difficult to find a better ambassador of African music than Angélique Kidjo. In more than 40 years of career, she has collected five Grammys, a Charles-Cros Lifetime Achievement Award, the Antonio Carlos Jobim Prize from the Montreal International Jazz Festival and many more. She was also the one who represented the African Francophonie at the Super Franco Fête last summer in Quebec City.

The artist from Benin will have the honor of kicking off the 37th International Festival Nuits d’Afrique (FINA), on July 12, at the MTelus, with his songs drawing on his West African roots, but also tinged pop, funk, R

You only have to look through the program to see that, behind this great woman, FINA has programmed several others. Yemi Alade, who had to withdraw last year for administrative reasons, will be at the festival this time, on the largest outdoor stage (July 19). The next day, at the same place, we will have the opportunity to hear the Gambian Sona Jobarteh, one of the few kora players in the world, who launched a magnificent album last year entitled Badinyaa Kumoo.

The care that FINA takes to provide a stage for singers and musicians is once again reflected in a series entitled Women of the World, in which, among other things, Noé Lira, Senaya (who finally launched his second album last winter ) and Valérie Ekoume. There are many more elsewhere in the program, including Bianca Rocha and Flavia Nascimiento, and Sophie Lukacs, a Canadian who mixes Hungarian folk with Mandinka grooves.

In addition to Angélique Kidjo, the Great Events series features the sensitive Cameroonian Blick Bassy (July 13, at the Fairmount Theater), who plays atmospheric pop, and Paulo Ramos (July 20, at the same venue) . A pillar of the Brazilian scene in Montreal, he performed at the press conference with one of his guests, Bïa, and percussionist Daniel Bellegarde. Its Brazilian party on July 20 will also count on the participation of Mônica Freire and Diogo Ramos, among others. They announce an evening where samba and bossa nova will dance with jazz and take on tropical tunes.

Two broken ensembles exploring the Gnawa tradition are also on the program: Bouliala

The poster for this 37th FINA offers, as always, a panorama of African music and a host of other Afro-descendant music, whether it then took root in the West Indies, Latin America, Europe and even elsewhere. in the world. FINA runs from July 11-23. After about a week of indoor shows, the event moves outside to Place des Festivals and around Place des Arts for free concerts and activities. Modern or traditional dance workshops from Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Ivory Coast or Morocco are part of the workshops offered.