If you've overdone the St Patrick's Day celebrations and are looking to embrace other cultures, look no further than African Irish Society of Wicklow and 'Festival in a Van', who are bringing a Rhythms of Africa live performance to Burnaby Park, Greystones, and the Bay Hotel, Arklow on Saturday, March 23.
The event features a line-up of music, dance, and spoken word that includes Bray's Poetry Town Poet Laureate Kayssie K, Rhythm Africana, and No Wahala Dance Crew, and the whole of Wicklow and beyond is invited to dance and sing with the performers to honour Elimination of Racism Day, March 21.
A poet and singer-songwriter, Kayssie K (also known as Christie Kandiwa) was born in Zimbabwe and raised in Ireland.
Her work is influenced by blending her Zimbabwean cultural heritage and her Irish upbringing and intertwines Southern-African myths and local languages and forms. She was awarded as the Poet Laureate of County Wicklow in 2021.
Kayssie was invited to perform as part of the Literature Festival in Limerick, Diversifying the Canon 2022, MoLi Culture Night, Living Canvas Programme, produced Ruvheneko as part of the Fringe Festival 2023 and NCWI's 2022 conference and is working as part of the Moonfish Ensemble.
Kayssie also gave a reading when the largest delivery of social homes in County Wicklow was launched at Kilruddery Glen in Bray, last November, the fulfilment of those "dreams of a place to call our own", as she put it at the launch, reciting a poem she had written for the occasion.
Rhythm Africana was founded in 2013 by Justine Nantale to highlight traditional African styles of music and rhythm. Following the success of their first EP My African Dream, the band has been invited to perform at events by AFRI-Action from Ireland, Trocaire, Concern, Oxfam, Action Aid and community festivals. The Rhythm Africana band performs a variety of traditional songs from Africa, and while the musicians are based in Dublin, they hail from from Uganda, Zambia, Congo, Nigeria – and Ireland.
Labour's Anne Waithira Burke created No Wahala Dance Crew in 2018 and Susan Ngereso McDarby, as a collective for African artists in Ireland who perform acts from all across Africa. From dancing to music, poetry, and drumming, the ensemble uses entertainment to promote cultural awareness, as well as highlight African heritage and culture.
Finally, onto the van . . . what is the 'Festival in a Van'?
This was the brainchild of Gemma Tipton, who set it up in 2020, turning a box van into a mobile stage as a way of keeping live performance going during Covid. Travelling in a bubble, and armed with oceans of hand sanitiser, the Festival in a Van team were able to visit care homes, schools, residential centres and direct provision centres touring music, theatre and poetry. Since then, it has staged more than 60 performances in 11 counties.
To catch this once-off, colourful and cultural event, you can go to the the Bay Hotel, Arklow, from 12pm-1pm and Burnaby Park, Greystones on Saturday, March 23 from 5pm-6pm.
The event features a line-up of music, dance, and spoken word that includes Bray's Poetry Town Poet Laureate Kayssie K, Rhythm Africana, and No Wahala Dance Crew, and the whole of Wicklow and beyond is invited to dance and sing with the performers to honour Elimination of Racism Day, March 21.
A poet and singer-songwriter, Kayssie K (also known as Christie Kandiwa) was born in Zimbabwe and raised in Ireland.
Her work is influenced by blending her Zimbabwean cultural heritage and her Irish upbringing and intertwines Southern-African myths and local languages and forms. She was awarded as the Poet Laureate of County Wicklow in 2021.
Kayssie was invited to perform as part of the Literature Festival in Limerick, Diversifying the Canon 2022, MoLi Culture Night, Living Canvas Programme, produced Ruvheneko as part of the Fringe Festival 2023 and NCWI's 2022 conference and is working as part of the Moonfish Ensemble.
Kayssie also gave a reading when the largest delivery of social homes in County Wicklow was launched at Kilruddery Glen in Bray, last November, the fulfilment of those "dreams of a place to call our own", as she put it at the launch, reciting a poem she had written for the occasion.
Rhythm Africana was founded in 2013 by Justine Nantale to highlight traditional African styles of music and rhythm. Following the success of their first EP My African Dream, the band has been invited to perform at events by AFRI-Action from Ireland, Trocaire, Concern, Oxfam, Action Aid and community festivals. The Rhythm Africana band performs a variety of traditional songs from Africa, and while the musicians are based in Dublin, they hail from from Uganda, Zambia, Congo, Nigeria – and Ireland.
Labour's Anne Waithira Burke created No Wahala Dance Crew in 2018 and Susan Ngereso McDarby, as a collective for African artists in Ireland who perform acts from all across Africa. From dancing to music, poetry, and drumming, the ensemble uses entertainment to promote cultural awareness, as well as highlight African heritage and culture.
Finally, onto the van . . . what is the 'Festival in a Van'?
This was the brainchild of Gemma Tipton, who set it up in 2020, turning a box van into a mobile stage as a way of keeping live performance going during Covid. Travelling in a bubble, and armed with oceans of hand sanitiser, the Festival in a Van team were able to visit care homes, schools, residential centres and direct provision centres touring music, theatre and poetry. Since then, it has staged more than 60 performances in 11 counties.
To catch this once-off, colourful and cultural event, you can go to the the Bay Hotel, Arklow, from 12pm-1pm and Burnaby Park, Greystones on Saturday, March 23 from 5pm-6pm.
