Open The Gate, the organisation that promotes African arts and culture in London, are regular visitors to Shoreditch’s Rich Mix venue, and next Sunday they’re celebrating their fourth anniversary with twelve hours of festivities.
Taking place from noon until midnight on 2nd June this free festival will feature a continually changing line-up of musicians on the main stage, including gumbe jazz from Guinea-Bissau, griot music from Gambia and reggae from Trinidad. There will also be an African market with twenty-one traders bringing along the best of the continent’s arts and crafts, fashion and jewellery, face-painting sessions for the kids and of course lots and lots and lots of African food to sample.
I’ve been to a few of Open The Gate’s events, and I’m sure that next Sunday will be a really colourful and exciting way to spend your afternoon and evening. I’m going to be heading along to photograph some of the artists on-stage – if you’re planning to go along yourself there’s a Facebook page for the event here, where more details will be added as the date approaches. See you there?
