Africa Oyé has revealed the full lineup for its 2023 Festival in Sefton Park, Liverpool. The world music festival, now in its 31st year, will feature live acts from Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cuba, and Colombia.
On June 17th and 18th, thousands of people will gather in Sefton Park to celebrate African and Diaspora music and culture. The two-day event will offer an array of music, workshops, DJs, dance performances, food stalls, and traders in the Oyé Village, all free of charge.
The lineup announcement includes Alogte Oho, the leading Frafra gospel artist from Bolgatanga in Northern Ghana. The group features a powerful female choir and tight horns.
Grupo Lokito, a fusion band combining contemporary Congolese grooves with the fiery spirit of Cuban music, will perform on Sunday afternoon.
Soukustek, an act from Cartagena de Indias in Colombia, will also take the stage on Sunday afternoon. Their music, which combines African rhythms with the sounds of guitars from the 1970s and the flavor of the Colombian Caribbean, reflects their life experiences, dreams, and joys connected to Africa.
Liverpool’s own neo-jazz singer, Ni Maxine, will be part of the main stage lineup on Saturday afternoon. This marks the first time an artist from the festival’s Oyé Introduces program has been invited back due to the acclaim she received after her performance in 2022.
Headlining the festival this year are Afrobeat superstar Seun Kuti and pioneering dancehall singer Tanya Stephens.
Paul Duhaney, the Artistic Director of Africa Oyé, expressed his satisfaction with the lineup, stating, “We’re really pleased with the lineup for this year’s festival and how it reflects our ongoing mission to showcase the music of Africa and the wider Diaspora. Artists from Liverpool to Accra and London to Havana will take over Sefton Park this summer for a truly international celebration.“
In line with their commitment to being free and accessible to all, the festival will provide an Access Tent, British Sign Language on-stage translators, and an Access Viewing Platform for this year’s event.
The 2023 Africa Oyé festival will take place on June 17th and 18th in Sefton Park, Liverpool, on the Review Field. The festivities will run from 12:30pm to 9:30pm both days, and admission is free without the need for a ticket.
For more information about the Africa Oyé festival and other events organized by Africa Oyé across the UK, visit africaoye.com.
Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central