Running until July 24, Montreal’s Festival Internationale Nuits d’Afrique (International Festival of African Nights) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year with a wide array of both traditional and modern performances and activities, reports the Journal Metro.
The highlight of this year’s attendees is Manu Dibango, Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player and writer-performer of the hit single Soul Makossa (1972). Dibango is also the godfather of this year’s festival and will officially open the event, performing with his Soul Makossa Gang.
"Music has no race: it comes in living color, sometimes scorching hot like the whirlwind that blows all across Africa so that a beautiful flower can bloom, the flower of Love and Brotherhood," said Dibango.
"Nuits d’Afrique has been helping this lovely African flower extend its reach for the last 25 years of struggle and passion."
With over 53 concerts in total, the festival also features special events for up-and-coming performers, female artists and local musicians.
For those who prefer to wander and explore, the Village Nuits D’Afrique will offer four days (July 21-24) of free family-friendly events and concerts on the Parterre in the Quartier des Spectacles in downtown Montreal.