first acts announced for free Africa Oye Festival

This year sees Africa Oye Festival celebrating 20 years of hosting the largest & loudest FREE celebration of African music and culture in the UK.

	Alhousseini Anivolla

The first acts have been announced and include Yellowman, Samba Mapangala & Orchestre Virunga, Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, Yabba Funk, and The Endless Journey - a Niger super-group with musicians from Mamane Barka and Etran Finatawa including Alhousseini Anivoll, Bammo Agonla, Mamane Barka, and Oumarou Adamou.

Paul Duhaney, Africa Oye Festival Director said, "We're delighted to announce that Yellowman is back by popular demand after his successful 2011 UK tour organised by Africa Oyé. With a career spanning over 30 years, few Jamaican artists can claim to have had such an impact worldwide as this legendary deejay and MC. Massively influential in both reggae and hip-hop, Yellowman's back catalogue, list of collaborations and producers speaks for itself as he continues to tour worldwide with the now legendary Sagittarius Band. Yet to play the main stage at Africa Oyé, 'King Yellow' is sure to tear it up with tune after tune of classics.

The African Music Festival, is held on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th June , and features artists from nations right across Africa, and also from South America and The Caribbean will play in Sefton Park, Liverpool for a two day family-friendly celebration of cultural diversity from 12.30pm until 9pm on both days.

Beginning in 1992 as a series of small gigs in the city centre, the event moved to its present Sefton Park home in 2002 to cope with demand. With too many negative representations of Africa produced by images of war, disease, poverty and famine, Oye seeks to instead highlight the fantastic range of cultures, foods, music and artists that make this great continent one of the most vibrant and inspiring in the world.

The festival is a truly international event that harnesses the spirit of multiculturalism and tolerance. It has played host to artists from nations right across Africa and also programmes music from South America and The Caribbean with Salsa, Soca, and Reggae always being popular additions to the festivities.

Sefton Park is transformed into an Oyé village, where you can try traditional food, buy fairtrade goods, enjoy a hair braiding, watch video and fashion shows, try henna art, puppet making, healing and remedial massage, and most importantly, listen to some of the best up-and-coming African artists around.

With over 60 stalls selling the best food, drink, arts and crafts, and fashion from Africa and beyond at the Oye Village, Africa Oye is about far more than just music. Long time supporter News From Nowhere, one of the UKs premier stockists of African music, will have merchandise from all the performing artists and much more on sale.

Africa Oye remains a registered charity and should any profit be made, it will be re-invested into the festival for 2013. The festival would also like to thank supporters, sponsors, and the generous donations received at last year's festival, that have managed keep the festival a free event.

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