Afro-Pfingsten Festival 2004: “The Soul of Africa”

Winterthur, Switzerland –

The

Afro-Pfingsten Festival will take place May 27 through May 31. With its
diverse
program, it plans to show visitors a glimpse of the world’s
second-largest continent,
its inhabitants, cultures and traditions. This intensive cultural exchange
grants annual
attractive and sustainable insights into the vibrating, African way of life.
Under the title and in the thread of “The Soul of Africa”, this year’s
Afro-Pfingsten Festival
invites its visitors to an exceptional rendezvous with Africa. Four concert
evenings enable
a glance at the continent’s multifarious music scene.

“Urban
Culture“ – Two shooting stars from the urban milieu will be marking the
impressive
start on Thursday May, 27th: the Jamaican Singjay Anthony B, who is well
able to entrance
his audience with his vibrating dancehall-ragga-dub-reggae-dynamics, and the
Senegalese
rap-trio Daara J, whose exciting lyrics cause a worldwide sensation.”African
Roots“, – on Friday there will be two, as yet undiscovered highlights
in Switzerland,
on the stage: the Saharawi singer Mariem Hassan with her desert blues, and the guitarist and singer Manecas Costa from Guinea
Bissau, whose
Gumbe songs combine African joie de vivre with Portuguese melancholy. This
evening will
be rounded off by the Afrobeat legend Tony Allen.

“New
South Africa: Happy Birthday”, the entire day on Saturday is dedicated
to South Africa
and the 10th anniversary of its liberation from apartheid. And who would be
better to celebrate
this than the charismatic Lucky Dube. Then the rap attacks from the female trio Godessa from the
Cape Flats and the bubbly Kwaito mix from Mzekezeke, from the Tembisa
Township.

“Sound’n’Voices”:
on the one hand, there is the soothing voice of Dobet Gnahoré, from
Ivory Coast, through to the sounds of the Creole-Cuban timbre of the
troubadour Ti-Coca,
from Haiti, and the dubby melodies of catchy Afro-pop tunes from the Kenyan
singer Onejiru.
The festival is rounded off by French master of sound Frédéric Galliano
with the The African Divas: Afro sounds and rhythms are concentrated with
house beats
to create harmonious traditional and modern sounds.

Afro-Pfingsten is much more than just a music festival.
42
workshops
(last day for applications: 19 May) provide the chance to engage in further,
unique
rendezvous with the African muse. 7 African films will be shown in the Loge
cinema
at the start of the festival (between 20 May and 2 June). Most of these
films are
award-winning works. In addition, there will be over 200
market traders will be ensuring
a bustling, colorful market over three days (Thursday to Saturday) in
Winterthur’s old town.

For further information regarding concerts, workshops, films and all you
need to know about the Afro-Pfingsten festival in Winterthur, visit:

www.afropfingsten.ch.

Starticket online.Call Center 0900 325 325 (CHF 1.49/Min.).

Outlets in Switzerland.

Ticketcorner online.
Call Center 0900 800 800 (CHF 1.16/Min.).

Outlets in Switzerland.

[Photos: 1 – Ambience at Afro-Pfingsten Festival. 2 – Dobet Gnahore. 3-
Workshops at the festival. All photos courtesy of Afro-Pfingsten festival..