South African Musical Icon Hugh Masekela Is Coming To The Dakota Jazz Club

Bra Hugh Rampolo Masekela

by Nelima

Bra Hugh Masekela is a musical genius who plays the trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn and cornet; he is a great singer and composer as well as a master storyteller, activist and history teacher (by way of his music).

At 72 he is still going strong and will be performing two shows a day on Feb 15th and Feb 16th at The Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant. You really do not want to miss this.

Especially since you get a $10.00 discount off your tickets if you use the code name ‘MinneAfrica’

We will again be running a lottery to give away 2 pairs of tickets to the 9:00pm shows. Email your full name and phone numbers to www.minneafrica@gmail.com to be entered into the lottery. We will run the lottery at 6pm Monday Feb 13th so have your info to us by then.

General info:

7pm shows are $40.00

9pm shows are $30.00

African Music Ensemble Fall Concert at the UMN

African Music Ensemble

If you haven’t attended one of these you should. Watching Sowah Mensa and his protegés play an array of African instruments ranging from drums and flutes to the xylophone is a real treat! Best of all – the concert is free

Event Information

Date: 12/02/11

Time: 8:00pm – 9:30pm

Location: Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall  - Ferguson Hall

Cost: FREE

For more information click here

African Musics of the Portuguese and French-Speaking Worlds

by Nelima

The University International Center will be hosting an interesting event.

 

International Symposium on Popular Music Studies: African Musics of the Portuguese- and French-Speaking Worlds

Thursday, Friday, and Monday April 23, 24 & 27, 2009 

Link to Program (in .pdf format) 

Link to Poster (in .pdf format)

Schedule of Events: (click on titles to learn more about each event)

Thursday, April 23, 7:30pm – Film Screening of “Fados” – Walker Art Center [Free]

Friday, April 24, 8:45am-6:30pm – Panels, Speakers, reception (.pdf file) – 100 University International Center

Friday, April 24, 8:00pm – Carmen Souza in Concert – Cedar Cultural Center

Monday, April 27, 4:00pm -“Jazz Transatlantic” Lecture by Gerhard Kubik, Universität Wien – 125 Nolte Center

Somali hip-hop: “It’s a culture. It’s a people’s life.”

 

 

Photos, from a recent Minneapolis performance by Somali MC K’Naan, by B Fresh

 

BY JUSTIN SCHELL , TC DAILY PLANET

On New Year’s Eve, hundreds of Somali youth packed one of the ballrooms at the Minneapolis Convention Center. There were performers from Minneapolis, Rochester, Seattle, and even as far away as London—places that have all developed substantial Somali populations both before and since the Somali Civil War, which began in the early 1990s and continues today. Some women had their heads covered, others had their heads uncovered and were dressed to suit any downtown nightclub. Snippets of both Somali and English conversation could be heard over the sounds of T.I. and Lil Wayne. Though it was a peaceful event, there was a substantial security presence—a sign of the fear and suspicion that unfortunately often surrounds Somali youth.

Grammy-Winning Ladysmith Black Mambazo will be here February 20th

by Nelima

I didn’t watch the grammy’s but heard that congratulations are in order for Ladysmith Black Mambazo who cinched the Best Traditional World Music Grammy for the Album “Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu”. This will be the second grammy for the group, who have earned eight grammy nominations. Great news is you now have a chance to watch them perform live the Orchestra Hall on February 20th starting 8pm. I hear they always put on a great show! For more information click here. 

Hope to see you there

K’naan, M.anifest, Muja Messiah in Concert this Wednesday

by Nelima

I almost forgot to post this. Somali-Canadian artist/poet/rapper K’naan will be performing at the Varsity Theater on Feb 11th (this Wednesday) as he promotes his upcoming album ‘Troubadour’. He a great artist, does a lot of conscious music and is Pan-African while putting Somali on the map. If you missed him last year at First Ave here’s a second chance to see him. Also performing will be our fav. Ghanian artist M.anifest and Muja Messiah. (Read the recent article on M.anifest’s campaign for his father’s freedom.) For more info click here.

Adventures in Single Dad-dom – The Missing Link

IBé

I use to be a party animal. I was never the drinking kind, but man, I loved the club scene.  I started going before I was barely in my teens. That was back in Koindu, Sierra Leone. At Disco J you couldn’t tell us we were not Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown and George Michael all wrapped in one. When I came to America, I took a break in Chicago, but quickly found my steps going to school in St. Cloud. Before 21, I brought the party home. Long story short, I got kicked out of quite a few apartments.

Now I don’t know the last time I stepped inside a club. My motto was “never in bed in the pm, never up in the am.” These days by the time noon rolls around I have a day’s worth bagged with two more to go. I better be in bed by midnight.

We Makin’ Arab Money … Tougher Than Nigerian Hair … Creative Or Insensitive?

by Nelima

My youngest brother who is a Dj told me something interesting this morning. He was doing his regular gig on Sunday and was about to play the song ‘Arab Money’ by Busta when his friend asked him not to play the song as it may be offensive to the culture of the many Somali’s in the club. For those of you who don’t know the song here are some of the lyrics (Not too sure about the Arabic ones, each website had a different version) …

Shalai Lai Lai Halilili Hai Lo!
Hi Li Ba Lai Hey Hi Li Bai Lo!
We gettin’ Arab money!
We gettin’ Arab money!
Ha La Shiki Hai Lili Ba La!
Milli Ai Lai Shi Lili Ba La!
We gettin’ Arab money!
We gettin’ Arab money!

Miriam Makeba, The Witch Lady

by IBé

 

Oh, yes, on the heels of the rise of one great African (Obama), another bids adieu. Miriam Makeba, mother of a nation, leaves us with only her music to sing us to the finish line. Hers was the gentle voice that could raise a storm, the sweetest tone to make your cry, and no matter the dark ways she walked through, her smiles always brought light to night.

Ola Onabule show cancelled.

Sorry to be the bearer of this bad news, but Ola Onabule’s show has been cancelled.  He was unable to gain entry into the US because he did not have the appropriate visa and was sent back to London. We will mos def let you know when he comes back.