[FA Worldmusic] Fourth Annual Afrofunk Festival Returns with Extra Funk

[Ravann Rachelle]

Fourth Annual Afrofunk FestivalReturns With Extra FunkWest Coast Multiculti
Revue Plays July9-26, wraps up at San Francisco'sIndependent.
June 10, 2008 (San Francisco, CA):Afrobeat is dense,
funky,intricately-layered, groove-heavy music withan intrinsic message -
delivered throughpolyrhythmic beats, the sweat of the dancers,and the power of
words. This July, thatmessage will reverberate through California,when the
Afrofunk Festival returns afterthree consecutive years of sold-out shows.
The Afrofunk Festival was born in2005, when Kenyan singer Victor Sila
joinedforces with Liberian DJ Jeremiah Kpoh.Cresting the wave of the
internationalAfrobeat revival, which shined a mediaspotlight on bands like
Antibalas and artistslike Femi Kuti, the AFF tapped into thevibrancy of the
San Francisco Bay Area, theepicenter of the '80s World Beat craze andcurrent
home to bands like Albino, Kotoja,Aphrodesia, and Sila's own outfit,
theAfro-Funk Experience. The result was a trulyunique event with a righteous,
humanitariancause benefiting at-risk youth in famine- andwar-torn regions of
East Africa.
In the years since, Afrobeat has continued togrow in popularity, while the AFF
has becomea cultural institution -- not just in the SanFrancisco Bay Area, but
along the West Coast.Now in its fourth year, the AFF (which runsJuly 9-26) has
expanded to venues in Eugene,Seattle, Portland, Ashland, San Luis Obispo,San
Diego, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara.The AFF tour concludes with three
consecutivenights at SF's at SF's premier live musicclub, the Independent.
"There's no way we can stop doing theAfrofunk Festival, as long as the
crisisfacing children in Africa continues," saysSila, emphasizing that his
mission has alwaysbeen to raise cultural and social awarenessthrough music.
This year's lineup stretches the boundariesof Afrofunk, presenting
African,Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Latin variants,alongside nu-funk and classic
soul.Performers include Sila and the AfrofunkExperience, B-Side Players, Rocky
Dawuni,Darondo, Nino Moschella, Sambada, AfrobeatDown, Bayonics, Fuga,
Manicato, DJ Jeremiahand the Afrobeat Nation, DJ Vanka, and DJFelina.
(Visithttp://www.afrofunk.org for acomplete list of performers, dates,
andvenues.)
The Afrofunk Festival is still a party, sobring your dancing shoes, but this
is a partywith a conscience; proceeds will benefitHouse of Hope, an orphanage
in Africa thathouses children ravaged by famine anddisease. Despite
international mediaattention and critically-acclaimeddocumentaries like Peter
Jordan's DarfurRising which have increased awarenessabout the plight of
African children, thesituation remains grave.
Having spent time in a refugee camp as ayouth himself before coming to
America, DJJeremiah is particularly sympathetic to thestruggles of Africa's
children. "This is thebest way I know of to focus attention on thisimportant
issue. The youth are the future. Byhelping them, we are giving them the hope
fora better life," he says, adding, "whatbettermedium to get this message
across thanAfrofunk?"

What:  4th Annual Afrofunk Festival. ABenefit for House of Hope, Uganda
When: Thursday, July 24 to Saturday,July 26th. Doors: 8:30PM
Where: The Independent, 628 DivisaderoStreet, SanFrancisco, CA 94117
Who: Sila and the Afrofunk Experience,B-Side Players, Rocky Dawuni, Darondo,
NinoMoschella,
Sambada, Afrobeat Down, Bayonics,Fuga, Manicato, DJ Jeremiah and the
AfrobeatNation, DJ Vanka, and DJ Felina.
Tickets: $18ADV/$20DOOR/$35VIP.Available at TicketWeb.com.Box Office:
415.771.1421
Contact: Jeremiah Kpoh,Email: Jeremiah at maishaproductions.com,
Phone:415-377-4879
More Information: http://Afrofunk.org,415-377-4879