Black Pernambuco singers Valdi Afonjah and Isaar perform in South Africa and Mozambique
-1iynsezr6orw2.jpeg "Recife’s peripheral artists tour African countries")
The Afonjah and Isaar Project in Africa is an unprecedented initiative that brings two great black artists from Pernambuco to South Africa and Mozambique: the singer and songwriter Valdi Afonjah, from the Mustardinha neighborhood, and the singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Isaar, resident in Jardim São Paulo, both west of Recife.
The Afonjah and Isaar in Africa tour started on October 25th and will run until November 10th.
The agenda of the project began on 27 and 30 October, with the recording of a film in the Soweto neighborhood, where the couple Mandela and Bishop Desmom Tuto, archbishop of the Anglican Church consecrated with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, fought together against apartheid. The clip is directed by director Erlânia Nascimento together with director Afonso Oliveira.
On Monday (31) the project team, made up of 12 people, arrives in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, where a series of activities will take place at the Mafalala Museum, a space dedicated to memory and local culture, where Afonjah and Issar come together to record a documentary, an exchange of knowledge and a cultural rapprochement. Highlights for the special participation of the women of Tufo da Mafalala and the artist Rodhalia Silvestre, singer of contemporary urban rhythms who play Jazz, Neo Soul, Reggae and Pop, maintaining a strong African identity and influence. There will also be a meeting with rapper Kloro, owner of the Hip Hop style as a form of expression.
Continuing the cultural exchange, on 5 and 6 November, the artists will participate in the Mafalala Festival, a global Afro event, with the incentive of the European Union, which has been taking place for 13 years, held by the NGO Iverca, at the Mafalala Museum. On the 8th it is time to record the shows by Kloro and Tufo da Mafalala, for the hybrid edition of the Canavial Festival 2022, scheduled for November, in the Mata Norte region of Pernambuco.
Encouraged by the initiative, the artist Isaar explains what this international experience means. “Seeing Africa in front of me with my own eyes is much more than the ancestral strength of my family lineage. I guess I’m reviewing the lineage of an entire society, “he said.
Valdi Afonjah also has his heart in his mouth and full of expectations. “Going to Africa is a reconnection with my essence. And being able to be in Maputo and Mozambique is a dream that I wish I could turn into reality. Meeting and playing with my sisters and brothers, such as Tufo da Mafalala, Rhodália Silvestre, Ngalanga Machaka and Kloro, will be truly memorable, ”he says with a happy face.
For Andréa Lima, cultural producer and executive coordinator, through Caboclo Produções, who has been collaborating with black artists from Pernambuco for over 10 years, the “Afonjah and Isaar na África” project is an important work for our history ”. It is important to contribute to this experience, it is an action to redefine our past, to build a present and a future aligned with the new ideas, struggles and achievements of the new generations ”, she said moved.
According to Afonso Oliveira, co-author of the project, the idea of the tour was born in a very genuine way, but with a view to the union of purposes and talents. “It was a Friday afternoon in 2019, more precisely in Buguinha Dub’s studio, in Carmo, in Olinda. I arrived with Afonjah and after a few minutes the doorbell rang. Suddenly, Isaar enters with his simple, strong and immense way of ancestry. We listened to a fragment of the song “OxumaréVocê”, which was recently released. When the two began to warm their voices, the image of those two incredible black artists, with trajectories of so many struggles to be recognized, immediately brought me to Africa. More precisely in the favela of Mafalala, Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. That studio could be there. Thus began our journey to Africa in 2022 ”, he recalls.
In addition to the tour, the entire trajectory of the ‘Isaar and Afonjah in Africa’ project will be recorded in video and photographs, for a future documentary. Excerpts from the tour will be made available via Youtube and social media. The tour is supported by Funcultura, Fundarpe, Department of Culture and Government of Pernambuco.
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Source: Terra
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
