Africa Day in
Manchester
I had planned nothing
for the past Bank Holiday weekend except to catch up on some much-needed rest
and sleep when I was offered a ticket to attend the Echoes of Africa event at Aviva Studios/Factory
International on Saturday the 24th.
This was in
commemoration of Africa Day, previously known as African Freedom Day or African
Liberation Day, initiated by the Organisation of African Unity on the 25th
of May 1963.
Looking at the agenda
of events running from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, I was unsure if I had the stamina
for 7 hours of potential revelry and entertainment, but I was determined to
show up, if only out of gratitude for the invitation.
Please, I’m not
fooled.
The Live Painting
Workshop, which had begun in the early afternoon, was already underway when I
arrived. I took a seat on one of the long sofas at the back, and I tempered my
cynicism regarding the artistry of the participants, who were pretending to represent
some essence of Africa. It easily resembled a messy children’s paint class, yet
people of all generations were engaged in it.
We have been led to
believe that a certain combination of vibrant colours and abstract shapes is
representative of Africa in context or origin; it reflected everything Toto’s
Africa was, but not the reality of what Africa is. The inspiration for the song
originated from a late-night documentary about Africa and likely the
recollections of missionaries to Africa who became teachers for American
schoolchildren.
An unrelatable
discussion
The next item on the
agenda, beyond the over-representation of Nigerians on the discussion panel,
focused on a topic likely more suited for those seeking a career in Afrobeats
or some contemporary genre of African music. Having first met a lady of Portuguese
and Guinea-Bissau descent who knew the lyrics to everything the female disc
jockey played; I spent more time with a grandmother of Caribbean heritage
tending to her noticeably Caucasian grandson.
Indeed, what is now
deemed the music of Africa is quite pervasive; it has a global audience, and
collaborations are extending its reach into places one would never have
expected such music to resonate.
Yet, in my
conversation with the grandmother, I thought a more relevant topic would be how
we preserve the significance of our African heritage in the diaspora and
provide younger generations a sense of belonging in the various spheres that
influence education, experience, and identity.
Music and fashion to
the world
Perhaps this was not
the forum for such a cerebral debate, and thus far, it had only intensified my
scepticism regarding the purpose of this gathering. Each time we were urged to
make more noise like Africans, there was a feeling that English reserve had
crept upon us unawares.
The live music
performances were interesting, but I knew none of the artists or their music,
and I was barely connecting until one performer took the stage like the Bobby Caldwell of
Afrobeats.
If there were no
visuals, one would imagine the performer hailed from a large city in Africa; he
had mastered everything and could pass for being as good as the popular
Afrobeats artists.
Then came the fashion
show; the mispronounced words by the compere regarding atelier to Aso oke were quickly forgiven
when it became clear that the distinction between African designer and African
fashion meant the latter garnered less attention compared to the former. Some
of the items showcased on the catwalk were comical at best, but I am not the
target audience for this kind of attire.
Before I knew it, it
was almost 6:00 PM—a delightful day out and a reminder that the Echoes of
Africa were just that; an echo is a reflection of the original sound and should
not be mistaken for the real thing.