Dubai’s All Africa Festival Showcases Music, Culture and Cuisine

Experience a taste of Africa without leaving Dubai. The All Africa Festival, at Burj Park, showcases the spirit of Africa through music, culture and cuisine. Kicking off today – Thursday 21 October – the three-day event features top tier global and regionally-based artists and celebrities. Egyptian actor, singer and rapper Mohamed Ramadan leads the celebrity charge, along with M People icon Heather Small and Afrobeats superhero Rema.

Set against the backdrop of the iconic Burj Khalifa, the All Africa Festival is a fully immersive experience. Running from 1pm – 10.30pm each day, the festival features culinary experiences, unique performances, heritage focused activations, fashion exhibits and art instillations. The programme pays homage to Africa and its people.

First curated in 2018, the All Africa Festival is growing in size. This year’s festival is in partnership with Emaar. “Having garnered significant traction over the years, we take on the challenge of curating an event of an even bigger magnitude,” said festival co-founder Nina Olatoke. “This year’s edition marks a significant turning point for us as an organisation. As we bring to life the electric, vibrant energy for which Africa is known, we are also drawing together Africa’s enthusiasts and lovers to an outdoor festival with guest safety and enjoyment at the core of our collective mandate.”

Highlights

Okay, so let’s examine the musical highlights over the three days. Numerous great names will set the All Africa Festival stage ablaze. Today’s star turns come from Mohamed Ramadan, Diamond Platnumz, Fireboy, Heather Small, RJ the DJ, MKO and more.

A seminal voice of the ’90s, singer Heather Small is a national treasure in the UK. As the lead singer of M People, Heather has chalked up 20 Top 40 hits in Britain, including Moving On Up and One Night In Heaven. The band lifted the coveted Mercury Music Prize for their second album Elegant Slumming and won Best British Dance Act at The Brits in 1994 and 1995. After M People, Heather enjoyed success with two solo albums.

Fusing Cultures

UAE-based Nigerian MKO is another Thursday highlight. He won Best Musician at the Black Excellence Middle East Awards earlier this year. Obsessed with fusing cultures, the singer-songwriter blends Afro-pop with Arabian influences.

Blessed

Dancehall recording artist, singer and songwriter Shenseea headlines the music acts on Friday 22 October. Her 2019 smash Blessed, featuring American artist Tyga, stormed to No.2 on Billboard’s reggae chart. Shenseea collaborated with Kanye West on his new Donda album and dropped the second single – Be Good – from her debut album in August.

Often called the Godfather of the Arabic drill scene, Freek hits the stage on Friday too. Of Somalian descent, Freek, aka Mustafa Ismail, was born and raised in Abu Dhabi. Coming up through the ranks, he deliberately ignored advice to rap in English, preferring instead to champion Arabic hip-hop through his native tongue. His latest track Sah Wala La is a collaboration with Too Dope.

Superhero

The All Africa Festival signs off with a bang on Saturday 23 October with Nigerian rapper Rema headlining. Dubbed “Afrobeats’ New Superhero” by Rolling Stone magazine last year, Rema is one of the genre’s most exciting artists. Earlier this year Rema collaborated with Jae5 and Skepta on Dimension. His latest track Soundgasm has racked up over 20 million views on Youtube.

Changes

The African continent is going through significant changes, gaining notable global attention for its diversity and growth opportunities. The All Africa Festival is helping to redraft its narrative. You’d be mad not to swing by. Find the ticket info you need to know here.

Photo: Heather Small

Also read: MKO and Sir Lennox Win Black Excellence Middle East Awards