reggae4africa

To open eyes, ears, hearts and hands

what we do and why we do it

We are REGGAE4AFRICA, an artistic partner in the global movement toward a greater Reggae Music presence in Africa; we also promote the works of humanitarian organizations, which have direct impact programs in Africa.

We are happy to create such events, as well as work in conjunction and in harmony with other festivals in Africa, which have the same motivation as ours. Many cities have yearly music festivals in Africa, and our show intends to empower their work by bringing one more good Reggae show to the country, a show promoted by Jamaican Gold, which will bring the Reggae Dream Team for a tour, and a discovery of Africa.

Reggae festivals have always been recognized as peaceful and harmonious events; everywhere they spring up, they bolster a spirit of better communal living, and promote a healthy way of living, free of violence and free from the abuses of drugs and alcohol.
These festivals also attract vendors who cater to this community, with items related to natural health, yoga, music, and a lot of African products.
There are many examples in the U.S., Europe and South America, of Reggae festivals, which have progressively attracted hundreds of thousands of people, and have become a source of tourism, and positive cultural events for the cities, which have organized these events. People come out from the festivals more at peace, happy to have heard great music and heard a message of love and concern for your fellowman. Seeing the positive results they bring, most people only wish there were more Reggae Music festivals in their countries.

Besides the musical component, the Reggae4Africa 2007 concert in Essaouira will also promote the work of a few non profit organizations selected for their excellence in projects on the African continent, such as RED, SOS Village in Africa, Fina Tawa, Actions against hunger, URGE, Per a Pace and many more. These organisations will be the co-stars of the Reggae4Africa show. The selected organizations will have the opportunity to come and promote themselves on the stage of the festival, and Reggae4africa will also promote these organizations through our marketing campaigns.

Reggae4Africa wishes to promote humanitarian organizations whose main fields of activities are health, education, and mainly human improvement related issues all over the African continent.

The idea which Reggae4Africa is formulating, is the possibility for the main humanitarian organizations of each country where the Reggae4Africa show takes place, to use the incredible potential found in Reggae Music in order to be empowered in their invaluable work, and become the recipients of larger contributions and renewed attention.

Every Reggae4Africa concert is a chance for the organizers and the host countries to have charitable funds flow back into the country’s own social and cultural programs, so that the effort invested in the concert comes back into the country- and helps develop its social, educational and health programs. This idea is based on the concept that commercial sponsorship strategies can be applied to humanitarian causes, and at times, combined with them. We hope and believe that this emerging crucial combination of artistic talent, positive culture, and significant humanitarian work can become instrumental to provide palpable improvement for people in need everywhere.
Through the participatory strategy of the Reggae4Africa tour, the concerned humanitarian organizations will be able to become the recipients of direct impact contributions. The synergy created through the immensely popular Reggae Music will allow people to appreciate their favourite, exciting yet peaceful and conscious music, while they are participating to solidarity projects in their own countries. We believe that such events may eventually inspire and motivate more contributing artists to become voices for humanitarian causes.
The Reggae4Africa festival will host a village of NGO’s who help Africa, do conferences and sell benefit merchandise, such as arts and crafts, clothing, music, and other items to the public.
Our program could include semi official visits to the show by Moroccan Soccer stars that would come to speak on stage, and we could possibly organize a Soccer game with children teams who will have on each team Reggae musicians, and Soccer stars who would play in a benefit game for the selected humanitarian organisations.

culture

We preferably organize the Reggae4Africa show around a Reggae artistic guest of honour, whose career’s significance will be addressed. Recognition of great contributors shows Reggae Music as a worldwide living culture, with values of artistic excellence promoting positivity and love, shared across the globe.

Reggae is a culture with living icons such as Ras Michael, Burning Spear, Sly & Robbie, Shaba Ranks, Ziggy Marley, and many more whose achievements deserve to be honoured, by their remarkable contribution to the planetary Reggae culture. For this first REGGAE4AFRICA in Essaouira, the guest of honour will be RAS MICHAEL (See Artists).

RAS MICHAEL is one of the originators of Reggae Music, and an elder of the Rasta community. Mentioned as a mentor of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and the whole first generation of Reggae artists, Ras Michael’s sound is the mystic introduction to Reggae Music. It is virtually impossible to resist the heartful trance created by the music of Ras. Ras Michael’s songs are among those whose central point of focus is Africa, as a historic starting point, and ultimate destination. Ras Michael explains that Africa is for Reggae what the soul is to the body, the roots and the source of existence. The spirituality of Reggae is enforced and renewed by contact with Africa.

“…The unique fiery and positive energy of Reggae, which is primarily dance music, brings a message of harmony by its own existence. While people dance to Reggae, all differences vanish and all are free to be who they are, conscious of their universal roots. If it even lasts for a moment, and a single heart has been opened by positivity and love, our mission has been accomplished….”