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Rwandan DJ ERIC SOUL nominated Best DJ Of The Year @ MOAMAS 2011 -

CAST YOUR VOTE FOR DJ ERIC SOUL NOMINATED AS BEST DJ OF THE YEAR AT THE MUSEKE ONLINE MUSIC AWARDS 2011.


AFROTAINMENT MUSEKE ONLINE AFRICAN MUSIC AWARD ANNOUNCED THE NOMINEES FOR 2011.
Following a month of exhaustive deliberation with an esteemed Voters’ Academy made up of African DJ’s, bloggers, VJs and entertainment industry figures, the Afrotainment Museke Online African Music Awards are happy to announce the nominees for the second annual groundbreaking awards. The awards are aimed at giving fans across the continent and in the Diaspora a voice and a chance to contribute to the acknowledgement of some of the finest in African musical talent.


The DJ of the Year category shows respect to DJs across the continent that have played a part in developing their respective genres and also command respect locally and cross-borders.
Visit: www.moamas.com/ for full list of nominees


Eric Soul itinary:
After a spiritual and cultural awakenning during a three month stay in post-war Rwanda as a resident DJ in Kigali, the capital of his native country. Eric Soul embarked on a musical crusade and landed in the headcity of clubculture  - London - The mission?

• Make Afro music and culture economically relevant, hip & sexy again to new generation of African and its Diaspora
• Use this as a communication vehicle to trigger positive social changes!  
• Elevate his country cultural profile to its deserved statut. 

Upon arrival in London, Eric Soul founded and developed AFROGROOV from a DJ music policy to a succesful and inspiring monthly platform of cultural expression to an international company delivering DJ-led music events, multi media art, a TV show, workshops and ground-breaking live performances. He performs as a DJ/artist on a variety of world stages such as Notting Hill Carnival, Printemps de Bourges, Womex, WOMAD, Sauti Za Busara festival (Tanzania), Lake Of Stars (Malawi), official launch party for the Football World Cup (Berlin). He is the conceiver, producer and TV host of WAHALA - a 26min digital TV show supporting and exposing new upcoming talent from Africa. As Africa explodes with talents, ideas and creativity that cross culture and geographical boundaries, Wahala is the reflection of an Africa in motion. With the aims of filling a large void existing between over-exposed commercial music and artists with global appeal not compromising their true cultural heritage, Eric Soul uses his fined-tuned ears, DJ skills, charisma and international network of key contacts to produce infectious online visual contents challenging negative perceptions and stereotypes on the most efficient media platform of all - Digital TV.
The Re-Evolution will Be Broadcast!

Scroll down to songs/video/industry group to CAST YOUR VOTE FOR DJ ERIC SOUL HERE

WATCH WAHALA
WAHALA Best of 2009 from NO PRODZ (Filming & Editing) on Vimeo.

RWANDAN artist of the Diaspora are representing well this year. Acclaimed US Based Jazz-Singer SOMI is also nominated in the Best Acoustic Song category:

Scroll down to Acoustic Song to CAST YOUR VOTE FOR SOMI HERE
WATCH SOMI live

The global success and international recognition of artists such Nneka, K'naan, Fally Ipupa or BlitZ The Ambassador confirms that there is a global and growing consensus that cultural and creative industries are a significant contributor to economic growth and job creation. Today, the wisest music and marketing executives, producers, movie makers and businessmen are flocking to AFRICA to find new talents. Initiative such as MUSEKE MOAMA 2011 deserves strong community support, political will and investments in view of maximising the potential of the African creative industries to promote and project this great vision of progress, strenght and empowerment. 

Movie review by Alex 9yrs old - Tanzania

Alex parle du film Commando - Videos humour

Globa Africa - Artist Alfredo Jaar meets Manthia Diawara

Amaizingly deep presentation by Alfredo Jaar on his epic series of work part of The Rwandan Project. Followed by an insightful discussion with Malian writer, filmmaker, cultural theorist, scholar, and art historian Mantia Diawara . .

K'naan performs @ The 2011 Economist Conference

For over 165 years, The Economist has traded on two ideas—insight and optimism. At The World In 2011 event, participants will have the opportunity to share in a unique experience that only The Economist can create—and to share their views and ideas about what will shape the months ahead.

At this year edition, the guest included an Ex-US President; a Chef, A Record Label Owner and a Rapper.....
Read more here

FELA! Part 2: The Fela cast teams up with African Centre

Fela Xmas Party

A celebration of Fela-inspired music

SATURDAY 18th December, 8pm-2am @ The Africa Centre. 
38 King Street- Covent Garden - London UK

The Africa Centre wishes you a very merry Christmas and invites you to an exclusive party in homage of Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the founding father of Afrobeat music, featuring the cast from the sold-out Fela! Musical currently showing at the National Theatre, and a great Dj line-up, including Djs Eric Soul (AFROGROOV), Nastee McQuaid, Tony Nwachukwu (NEPA/burntprogress) & TRoy (Broadcite).

On the night, we will have a raffle with special Christmas prizes for our guests as well as delicious home-made Nigerian food on sale.

All proceeds from the night will go towards the refurbishment of the Africa Centre premises, scheduled to take place from March to July next year.

Please come along to enjoy and celebrate a night of Fela-inspired music at the Africa Centre with the cast from the Fela! Musical and other Fela Kuti lovers. 

If you are a UK reader or just happen to be in London during this pre-NYE period! This is simply the place to be after the Xmas feast...nothing better to burn those extra calories!!

We really look forward to seeing you there!

Book your tickets online now at http://felaxmasparty.eventbrite.com

*The Africa Centre would like to thank all the above-mentioned djs, the cast of the Fela! Musical and artist Daniela Yohannes for making this night happen.

FELA! Part1: The Musical plays in London!!

For the last three weeks, Bill T Jones's creation has taken London by storm. It is a slightly different version from the Award-Winning Broadway version of FELA THE MUSICAL with a brand new cast, musicians...only the leading roles of Fela is still there.


Antibalas was the tight musical unit who re-worked and performed the music for the stateside version while the National Theatre production gave the responsability to re-create the intricate music of Fela to the very capable hand of Dele Sosimi, Rob Hopcraft and Idris Rahman from the very slick Afro/Dub top London band Soothsayers.


The London press launch was really buzzing, both Seun And Femi Kuti were in attendance, Marie Daulne from Zap Mama, DJ Rita Ray amongst a few Nigerians celebrities and a kaledoscopic mix of media, industry crowd and other familiar faces. All were there mingling, drinking and dancing...a free party courtesy of the National Theatre production team.


For the gossips: Apparently the London version was a more pan-African cast and 60% of the cast were french-speaking performers of Carribean and African origin: the happy tap-dancer was not part of the Broadway version: Femi Kuti gave his thumbs up to the play saying it was quite an emotional experience....


Fela! was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical for Bill T. Jones, Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Sahr Ngaujah, and Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Lillias White.


Weither you love musical or not....the FELA production is a real creative "tour de force". Critics will be very quick to point out details and question with sarcasms the possibility to produce a rendition of such a complex, facinating, multi-faceted and seriously iconic charachter in a 2 hour play?


Well, you really need to be darken by negativity to not be impressed by the sheer near-perfect balance between inter-active entertainment, powerful thought-povoking acting , music and dance performance in display while retracing authentic moment of the life of the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick that FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI was.


Because it is the first, it is just the best that it could be and the bar has been set quite high.....So critics are very welcome to create their own version.....more there is...the merrier!

Still doubting?? Watch this clip and tell me you dont want to go and see it...



http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/felalondon/


Music is the weapon....Africanize 2011!!

Xmas Bank Holiday feat Kasai Masai, Toopi, Koichi Sakai and Eric Soul 27th Dec @ Passing Cloud

Are you looking for a XMAS PARTY?
27 DEC 2010... 8pm - 5am (28 is bank holiday)
join us to celebrate the winners of WOM@TT BEST OF BRITISH AWARD VII 2010:

KASAI MASAI


+ Exclusive show from TOOPI
+ after party by DJ ERIC SOUL (WAHALA on VOX AFRICA TV - SKY CH 218)

Eric Soul - Positive Soul crew / Bisque Rage visuels
Uploaded by bisquerage. - Discover more animation and arts videos.

upstairs:
MURUA 69 (tribute to the late GREGORY ISAACS)


KOICHI SAKAI (Afrobeat)


PASSING CLOUDS, 1 RICHMOND RD E8 4AA (Dalston Kingsland - overground station) off Kingsland Road

info 07932527121
Advance ticket : £5 www.ticketmaster.co.uk www.ticketweb.co.uk

£5 before 10.30pm
£7 after

AFROGROOV: Afro, Jazz, RnB, Hip Hop, Soul, Kwaito, Soukouss, Coupe' Decale', Bashment