The first three acts heading to Africa Oyé in Liverpool’s Sefton Park this summer have been announced!
This year’s festival is to be held on the 17th and 18th June in Sefton Park, with artists from Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Cameroon make up the first wave of performers to be announced with plenty more still to come.
Following on from the incredible 30th anniversary year in 2022, one of Merseyside’s most picturesque green spaces will once again be filled with the music and culture of Africa, the Caribbean and the Diaspora, for two free days of live music, workshops, DJ stages, food stalls and a range of traders in the Oyé Village.
Kicking off the first wave of acts are Ghanian highlife stars, FRA!
FRA!’s energetic performance and infectious grooves are sure to get Liverpool audiences dancing this June with their hypnotising and catchy choruses and incredible showmanship.
Joining them on the line-up will be Cameroonian soloist, Veeby!
A highly respected voice in the burgeoning afrosoul community, Veeby says that it is through her musicality that she transmits her pride and tells the story of her African roots. Her aim is to “connect the points” of music and history for her fellow Afro-descendants.
Rounding off this first announcement is gifted guitarist, percussionist and balafón player, Kimi Djabaté!
On Djabaté’s new album Dindin, the multitalented musician from Guinea-Bissau carries on the customs of his griot heritage, singing entrancingly about the complexity of life in modern Africa for a broad, international audience.
Artistic Director, Paul Duhaney, said following the reveal: “As we enter our fourth decade of celebrating the music and culture of Africa and the Diaspora, we’re delighted to announce this first wave of artists for the 2023 festival.
As part of our 30th anniversary last year we were lucky enough to be invited to music conferences across the world. Our first announcement for Oye ’23 features three of the artists we discovered during showcases at industry events such as WOMEX and Mundial Montreal, where we were able to promote Oyé and Liverpool as a destination for international creatives. We can’t wait for our Oyé crowds to experience their live sets and be blown away just as we were.”
For more information on the festival and other events held across the country by Africa Oyé please visit africaoye.com and follow them across social media.
