Thirteen days. More than 700 artists from 30 countries. One milestone anniversary.
Montreal’s Festival International Nuits d’Afrique closed its 40th edition on July 19 after another celebration of African, Caribbean and Latin American music that transformed the Canadian city into a cultural crossroads.
Held from July 7 to 19, the festival attracted thousands of music lovers and performers from around the world. Now considered the largest event of its kind in North America, this year’s edition balanced internationally acclaimed artists with rising talent from across the diaspora.
Malian music icon Oumou Sangaré opened the festival, while reggae star Tiken Jah Fakoly brought the celebrations to a close.
The festival’s story began four decades ago with Ivorian entrepreneur Lamine Touré, founder of Montreal’s renowned Club Balattou, and Suzanne Rousseau, who shared a vision of creating a space where the rhythms and cultures of Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America could come together.
Rousseau, now the festival’s executive director and co-founder, said that vision continues to shape the event.
“Nuits d’Afrique is the Balattou formula on a grand scale. When he [Lamine Touré, founding president] came up with the name Le Balattou—which means ‘a dance for everyone’—everyone, all the rhythms, all the cultures, everything from Africa, the entire African continent, the Caribbean, and Latin America, was to be represented through the performances.”
She said the festival was also created so that “all children born here, as well as those who cannot travel to their countries of origin,” could reconnect with their cultural roots.
Touré summed up the festival’s mission in just a few words: “That’s why we’re here.”
Among the artists helping mark the anniversary was Ivorian music legend Meiway, who wrote the official 40th-anniversary anthem, Unis par les Nuits (“United by the Nights”), a choral composition celebrating the festival’s spirit of unity.
“For an artist, being associated with an event of this calibre means that we matter to the festival itself and to African music,” Meiway told Africanews. “This festival has given so much to African music, and I believe the least we could do to honour them is to be here. I’m here to express my gratitude to the whole team that has done so much to promote art and our traditions here in Canada.”
The festival also welcomed back familiar faces.
Guadeloupean performer Admiral T, who headlined the closing night for the second time and has appeared at the festival four times, spoke about its personal significance.
“It’s true that this isn’t the first time. It’s the fourth time. It’s the second time I’ve closed the festival and headlined. As someone of African descent, this is a very special festival that resonates deeply with us. Nuits d’Afrique represents something powerful. I love this festival because when I come here, people are incredibly warm and welcoming. It’s always a pleasure.”
Beyond the headline acts, this year’s programme highlighted emerging artists and members of the African diaspora. Among them were Montreal-based Senegalese musicians, the Sissokho brothers, who used their performance to showcase both their family heritage and their homeland.
Free concerts at Place des Festivals and Esplanade Tranquille drew large crowds throughout the event. The closing day also featured the presentation of the Afropop Worldwide Syli d’Or prize to this year’s winner, Lydol.
Although the outdoor stages have now fallen silent, the music continues at Club Balattou, the venue where the festival’s journey began 40 years ago. Organisers say the club remains a year-round home for discovering African artists from Canada and beyond.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah