Nuits D’Afrique

The other day, I took in the Just for Laughs Homegrown show (and had a blast watching all the dudes and Claire Brosseau) and then caught Chris Velan’s set at Campus - Chris Velan produced the Refugee all Stars, and he has a wonderful solo performance that reflects his kind and soft spoken but funny and super quick personality, building loops of guitar thumps and heart rendering reggae and telling stories with his songs about his time in Africa, or about being a pacifist backed into a corner by someone intent on a fight. Funny and cheer worthy, that Chris Velan dude is.

Then I was just minding my business, walking home as my friends headed off to the hotel where the Just For Laughs schmoozing goes on, when I walked past Roman, one of the owners of Club Lambi where we’ve done a bunch of Indyish events, standing outside another venue, called Club Balattou. Roman and I have shared many a hug and impromptu dance move, so I stopped to high five and chat with him and discovered that he was there in official capacity, as one of the producers of the Nuits D’Afriques music festival. He’s been involved in booking and producing this festival for 20 years, and the way his eyes light up about it you can tell; this is his passion.

He brought me inside, winking and waving past the guardians of the gate who were singing loud along with the crowd and the beautiful woman on stage. Her name is Nawal and 20 years ago, Roman tells me as we watch her build a haunting vocal rhythm in Comoran, Arabic, French and English, she was the first woman to leave her company as an independent professional. She has fought for women’s rights for many years he tells me, and her country, the Comoros, has suffered 19 coups d’etats.

photo credit:
www . zuvaworks . com

She is brilliant and we are all singing with her and her accompanists, one on a traditional calabash drum, and the other on a gorgeous contre bass which he treats alternately as a classical string instrument and as a thunderous funky percussion piece. The crowd loves them and they beam love back, and she tells us to strengthen and celebrate places like this in the world where men and women of all different races and religions sit peacefully together and sing.

After Nawal’s set, Roman spreads out the Nuits D’Afriques and recommends, well, everything, but especially a free outdoor show today (Sunday July 22) at 5:45, an African percussion group that consists entirely of awesome Quebecois women (I think they’ll all women) called Taafe Fange. Head down to Berri UQAM metro, in that park area between St Catherine and de Maissioneuve and you can catch the last full day of celebrations today.

www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com