By Emily Crawford
The final night arrived on Sunday with a mellower vibe, people trickled in slower. I caught Managing Director Lorenz Herrmann’s closing remarks as he brought the core team onstage, praising them: “They are all leaders,” looking forward to many years ahead.
Nara Couro from Brazil took us to Bahia’s gorgeous rhythms with a simple setup of drum kit with African elements like calabash and keyboard with Nara swirling across the stage in a cascading blue dress, immersed in oceanic rhythms traditional to the region. Completely transporting us, she shifted into faster rhythm, dancing with a knife to represent the Orisha of Ogun as the crowd rustled awake, clapping along. She explained the deep spiritual and musical connections between Africa and Bahia, identifying as Brazilian and also from Guinea-Bissau, her “second home… Brazil never forgets Africa.” Some sambaed as the rhythm shifted. Finally, she exploded across the stage dancing in the style of iconic bloco band Ilê Aiyê as they covered one of their songs, dropping us straight into Carnival.
We circled closer to home with UK-based Ugandan artist Seby Ntege. With energizing charisma, he won over the crowd with upbeat soulful afro-fusion, keeping our eyes locked and feet shuffling as he played various traditional instruments including akogo thumb piano and adungu harp.
Next, the large Nigerian-UK band Atanda & Afrojazz Messengers delivered a super tight, high-energy afrobeat and jazz performance worthy of praise from Femi Kuti himself. Lead singer Atanda commanded the stage with vibrant presence, asking us to do call-and-response with his guitar – as he played electric solos, we sang them back! Powerful horns had us jumping and raising our hands in joy as he chanted “spiritual, spiritual!”
As anticipation built for Africa’s ‘golden voice,’ sad news arrived: headliner Salif Keita was experiencing health complications and couldn’t perform. The crowd, audibly disappointed, didn’t budge. His band would still dazzle us with his most beloved songs. And they absolutely did. The silver lining: the women got to shine. Two singers, one his daughter, mesmerized us with striking, powerful voices that go straight to the heart while shimmering in gold and purple fabrics. It became clear this wasn’t just a substitute: these expert musicians are among the world’s absolute best, trusted with carrying Salif’s enormous legacy.
Rain sprinkled gently down, washing away lingering heaviness as the powerful ripple of djembe and multiple koras left us elated. “Africa, Africa, hey!” Everyone sang to one of his most famous songs. Backstage, that team of young leaders making up the Busara team? They danced in celebration in a circle with so much joy it’s as if they captured it and banked it up throughout the whole festival, laughing and singing along. They deserve to feel proud, knowing they represented our community and created something truly special and memorable. We are already excited for the next edition! But for now, time to finally catch up on sleep.
