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Africa Stage at London Pleasure Gardens

Africa Stage at London Pleasure Gardens

When
21 July 2012 -
22 July 2012

-

Where
London Pleasure Gardens

Nearest Tube
Pontoon Dock

Cost
Free but must be booked in advance

Age Restrictions
n/a

Head to the River of Music Africa stage at London Pleasure Gardens for two days of live music from across the continent. Taking place on the weekend before the London 2012 Olympic Games officially open to great fanfare, the concerts and gigs in Docklands are bound to attract a large and diverse crowd of music lovers.

Six stages, one world
One of six stages set up along the banks of the Thames in celebration of music from around the world, the Africa stage at London Pleasure Gardens gives visitors to Docklands the chance to listen and dance to some of the best in established and up and coming African musicians. As well as the Africa stage, the River of Music festival also features stages in Battersea Park, Trafalgar Square, Somerset House, the Tower of London and the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

River of Music London

Highlight acts
Musicians already confirmed to be performing at the Africa stage at Jubilee Gardens include the Senegalese singer and guitarist Baaba Maal, who is famous for combining traditional music from Senegal with modern technology as well as elements of ragga and salsa. Other acts on the lineup include the Grammy Award winning singer and political activist Angelique Kidjo from Benin, whose work fuses traditional Beninese vocal techniques with Afropop, jazz, gospel and Latin styles.

Cross pollination
Taking you on a whistle-stop tour of the many different musical genres to be found across the continent, the Africa stage at Jubilee Gardens should draw in both seasoned fans of African music and newcomers alike. Traditional forms of African music have led to the development of Afro-Caribbean, African-American and Latin American music such as soca, samba, rumba, salsa, calypso and zouk, so keep an ear out and see if you can detect elements of these genres reflected back in the music on stage as a new generation of artists reclaim these influences for their own.

Baaba Maal
As well as performing at the River of Music festival at the London Pleasure Gardens, Baaba Maal is also curating the Africa Utopia strand of debates, performances and film screenings, which takes place as part of the Southbank Centre's Festival of the World. In the same spirit as the River of Music event, the Festival of the World welcomes all nations and cultures to London during the summer of 2012, when the city hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Festival of the World at Southbank Centre

The BT River of Music Africa stage at London Pleasure Gardens is open from Saturday 21st July - Sunday 22nd July 2012. Admission is free but tickets must be booked in advance. For more information and to book tickets from Tuesday 15th May, click on the link below.

River of Music Tickets

River of Music London

London 2012 Olympics

Free Summer Festivals in London