First on stage was South Africa’s Freshlyground, a fantastic band whose effortless chemistry and stage presence had the audience in a seemingly permanent state of bliss. Whether it was Kyla-Rose Smith playing the violin as she danced alongside lead singer Zolani Mahola, or Flutist and Saxophonist Simon Attwell dancing alongside bassist Neil Hawks, Freshlyground is one of those bands in which every single member plays a significant role at creating a dynamic performance. They are such an engaging and exciting group, in fact by the third song a jumping Zolani touched her pregnant belly saying “ Apollo I got you a baby”, before proceeding to remove her beautiful and dramatic yellow necklace in order to get her dance on for the remainder of her performance. By the last song, a good number of people had gathered around the stage to join the band as they danced around the stage. Judging from the singing and dancing crowd, Freshlyground has numerous fans, old and new, in New York City. I think it is safe to say that their return is much anticipated.
On stage in vibrant African designs, the second act of the night was Congo’s phenomenal Lokua Kamba and the wonderful vocalists that included his beautiful daughter Malaika Lokua, Roselyn Belinga, and Didi Ekukuan. With only a couple of instruments, they appeared very minimal but when the multilingual group started to sing in English, French, Lingala, and Swahili, their rich and melodic voices filled the entire auditorium. With the ability to hit ridiculously high notes Lokua’s enchanting voice created a still atmosphere that could only be attributed to admiration, in fact as he prepared for what was a chillingly beautiful solo, a woman in the audience yelled out “Je t’aime Lokua” to which the charming musician responded “Je t’aime aussi”. Leaving the stage with a standing ovation, he was an undeniably memorable act, and a great way to premier a cultural production that represents and celebrates African music.
With each act as exciting as the last, the third performance of the night was Nneka from Nigeria. For those who have seen Nneka live in concert, you might be familiar with her casual demeanor and her tendency to speak freely. When she first got on stage the natural beauty seemed a little more reserved than usual, but by her third song “Heartbeat” Nneka was her outspoken self, calling out to the sound crew backstage for adjustments. Nneka’s down to earth persona is refreshing and it only seems fitting for the socially conscious artist who upon apologizing for her lack of professionalism, teased the amused audience saying “People are too afraid to talk because they want to respect the system”. With a mixture of soul, reggae, and afrobeat, the petite songstress gave a heartfelt performance that left the audience yelling for more of her unique sound.
The last act of the night was Blitz the Ambassador and his lively ensemble. A Ghanaian flag adorned the microphone and the energetic rapper appeared on stage dressed in a kufi cap and a blue suit (blue blazer and blue jeans) that served as the funky version of a pilot suit, as he was about to take the Apollo on a journey to Ghana and back. The rapper performed a number of songs from his latest album Native Sun which talks about his journey as an artist as well as the immigrant experience. Mixing hip hop with traditional African sounds, he used his drum as a percussion instrument and an imaginary spin table which he so wonderfully mimicked as he rapped. As with any good hip hop show the audience was up on their feet waving their arms back and forth to the beat. The whole experience was enhanced by the wall in the background which served as a projector, providing footage to go with lyrics. Blitz was on a mission to take the audience on a visual, musical, and spiritual journey, and he was able to do exactly that!
Congratulations to all of the brilliant artists as well as The Apollo Theater and World Music Institute who were successful in presenting a phenomenal show. Africa Now! was undoubtedly an entertaining and wonderful event that provided the type of platform that can encourage discussion, create awareness, and educate the world about the value and beauty of African culture. If you did not attend Africa Now! this time around, make sure that you do not miss the next year.