The Cedar Cultural Center hosted an event, Festive Beats of Afrika, to celebrate the African diaspora through music, dance, and storytelling last December 20th. The stage held a full band with guitar, keyboard, and percussion, occasionally joined by other instrumentalists backing up the two individual singers.
The dance troupe, Afrocontigbo, definitely offered a unifying element with energetic dance moves that invited the audience to participate. One dancer incorporated some Indlamu-inspired high kicking as well as iconic hip-shaking soukous dancing.
The house band however didn’t provide the rhythmic driving beat needed to sustain the dancing. I couldn’t tell if it was the band at fault or the sound system, but they were often muddled and seemingly without leadership.
In fact, the whole event started with a disembodied voice previewing the show. It wasn’t until the fourth number played that I could identify the emcee. While he was humorous and enjoyable and very pro-Nigerian, his home country, he didn’t stand out with flash and hype. I did appreciate how he dropped bits of history or other trivia into his monologue about Nigeria.
I definitely wanted to fist-pump his statement, Africa is the cradle of civilization, which is too often overlooked.
Congolese musician, Diatoti, strutted out with the moves and the voice to excite the crowd, which filled about 2/3rds of the dance space. She is undeniably strong and sensual, taking command of the music and floor as if she alone owns it. She is so much fun to watch and experience, a true ambassador of the DRC. Performing a half-dozen numbers, the soukous-influenced music and dance appealed to everyone.
Darling Carolyne Naomi gracing the stage with her Nigerian-inspired sound, was swallowed up with the noise and intensity. I wanted to love her performance and so did others. I could tell by the way their hips swayed and feet shuffled, but no one put themselves out on the dance floor as there was no hook, no bounce from the music to propel them.
This was simply not Naomi’s ideal situation. To enjoy Naomi’s music, it needs to be delivered in a solo concert seated in chairs with space to dance. In that environment, she will shine as her nightingale voice soars. But at the Festive Beats of Afrika, it was too much. It’s not a reflection on the resilience and strength of Naomi, but on her style and art trying to fit into a raucous dance. You wouldn’t play tennis with a football would you?
I hope The Cedar continues this endeavor, but with a different mix of musicians and more time spent on sound-check. The impetus is wonderful and the Twin Cities has a wealth of artists who can fill the setlist.
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About Susan Budig
Susan is based in Minneapolis and reports on general assignments for Mshale with a focus on entertainment. In addition to reporting, she is also a writer, poet, teacher and coach.
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