See the full Afro Roots World Music Festival event schedule.
You may be damn well excited for the Heineken TransAtlantic Festival kicking off today. And well, why not? But you should also know that it's not the only music fest in town this week.
Whether you just can't get enough world sounds or you want to save your boogie shoes for the weekend, head for the 13th annual Afro Roots Festival this Saturday at 7th Circuit Studio.
Over the years, the Afro Roots fest has introduced the 305 to performers from as far as the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Guinea, and Mali. And the 2011 edition once again unites great artists from around the world with superb local talent. You've got Boukman Eksperyans, Jahfe, Spam Allstars featuring Papa Malik Faye, and Locos Por Juana joined by Ghana's Rocky Dawuni.
"It's really important for our community here in Miami to know the great influence and diversity of music that the African culture has given us through the years in many different forms," says Locos vocalist Itagui Correa.
Indeed, the Afro influence can be heard in myriad styles from the Caribbean to South America. And in fact, it can be heard right here in our own backyard amid the sounds of local acts like the aforementioned Locos Por Juana, a band that folds that Afro-ness into Colombian sounds like cumbia, reggae and funk.
This Saturday, Locos' set will be augmented by the presence of Ghanian star Duwani. "Rocky is a great friend of ours," says Correa. "He's singing one song with us and we're playing one of his songs. It's history in the making for our beautiful Miami."
Afro Roots World Music Festival with Boukman Eksperyans, Locos Por Juana and Rocky Dawuni, Spam All Stars and Papa Malick Faye, and Jahfe. 7th Circuit Studio, 228 NE 59th St., Miami. Doors open at 5 p.m. and tickets cost $10 in advance via brownpapertickets.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the door: $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors, and $5 for children under 12. All ages.
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