The morning after the weekend music festival at my local park- Sefton Park Liverpool, I woke early. The beat of the previous day was still pounding away in my very being-it was a bit weird actually, unsettling initially but after I had come round sufficiently I decided to go with it and let myself relive the memories of the previous days entertainments. I found I was soon able to lull myself off to sleep again to a thump thump thump of the base beat. The festival I went to is called Africa Oye and has been in existence for over twenty years-it is the biggest festival of African music in the UK. Round here we are generally very proud and attached to ‘The OYE’, I know a few people for whom this is one of, if not the high-lite of the year. After this year’s experience I am beginning to think this might be describing me as well.
In this age of festivals what is it that makes this one so special?
Any analysis on this question by me is unlikely to draw on much in the way of comparison with other music festivals around the country/world even! The music festival scene has become a phenomenal growth industry in recent decades yet much of it has passed me by due to my reluctance to spend time in unfamiliar environments. The thought of being in a field camped in close proximity to thousands of others unknown was enough to set my heart palpitating, not good. With the Oye being so local you cannot fail to be aware of its existence, the volume is considerable but with a start time of 12-30pm and finishing at 9.30 no-one is losing sleep over it. Even when i didn’t fancy the crowds I used to sit in the back yard taking in the rhythms. Over the last 10 years I have been encouraged to give it ago by friends who were Oye enthusiasts. These were often people who like myself had issues with anxiety around crowds and the like, we would meet at designated places and plan to stay for a short while and in this way feel a bit connected with this local institution. What i discovered was that the vibe was indeed very eclectic, by that i mean that the type of festival goer was so varied, old, young, black, white, it did seem that there was a real mix of people- that all these people were up for a party was the commonality. People near the stage were the dancers but not too far away the picnic goers would be camped, BBQ’s going, stripy windbreakers in place, all that kind of thing.
The performers come from all parts of world that has African lineage, so Britain is represented as well as south America as well of the many countries of the African continent. The performers too are a real mix in terms of age and experience, teens to octogenarians are up there on stage strutting their stuff or indeed sitting down if that is the best advice from here doctors while performing. Head lining this year was a band from the Dominican Republic of Congo called Staff Bendi belili. These guys became famous some years ago as the subject of a documentary about life on the street in Kinshasa were they plied there musicianship to make ends meet, many unable to work due to physical disability. Amazing story of resilience and to get to see these heroes in my local park for free is just unreal.
This year was a bit different for me in that I was volunteering on a stall at the festival, one of a ring of tents and marquees selling food, clothes, cd’s with others promoting a service of sorts. I was on the Consortium stall and we were promoting a mental health services for BAMER communities in the city. I also got a chance to promote the park activities from Pets and Pals. I have to say that the dogs love the festival too, so much part of the day. Some years ago, one of my first, i recall great fun being had by this ball game that was going on where a battered casey ball was being winged across the crowd, 20 to 30 yrds and this little staffie type dog was the chaser, weaving between people following the balls trajectory, it went on for about 15 minutes. On the Saturday the weather was glorious and I observed so many people hanging out with their dogs that the following day I went with the intention of capturing them on film. The change in weather put paid to that idea. When it started to rain about 2pm I was glad to be under the cover of the marquee although I could see the small city of umbrella’s by the stage and make out the dancing and cheering. The numbers of festival goers was a fraction of the previous day and we decided to close the stall early, about 4. I was umming and arring about whether to call it a day myself but a few people I knew were up for staying so I was persuaded to hang on a bit. Five hours later i was still there-it was still raining but by then I didn’t care. I had done that much dancing and what with dipping under umbrellas and going off for warm drinks when the bands weren’t on, I was absolutely fine.
I met up with a friend called Natty who I hadn’t seen in over 18months and we were dancing together. She was lovin’ the rain and said as much, I thought about it and decided I did too. Perhaps through adversity we discover different sides to ourselves. When the end came and some of the organisers came on to say there thankyou’s it was really touching, he pointed out all those in the audience who go the extra mile to make this festival what it was, he had a name for us, the ‘Oye Ultra’s’. Am I an ‘Ultra’ I wondered, I decided I was indeed an ‘Ultra’ and when the final call of the event was made, for probably the thousandth time that weekend, A-F-R-I-C-A-A-A! I hooted back O-Y-E-E, we are so lucky to have you
In this age of festivals what is it that makes this one so special?
Any analysis on this question by me is unlikely to draw on much in the way of comparison with other music festivals around the country/world even! The music festival scene has become a phenomenal growth industry in recent decades yet much of it has passed me by due to my reluctance to spend time in unfamiliar environments. The thought of being in a field camped in close proximity to thousands of others unknown was enough to set my heart palpitating, not good. With the Oye being so local you cannot fail to be aware of its existence, the volume is considerable but with a start time of 12-30pm and finishing at 9.30 no-one is losing sleep over it. Even when i didn’t fancy the crowds I used to sit in the back yard taking in the rhythms. Over the last 10 years I have been encouraged to give it ago by friends who were Oye enthusiasts. These were often people who like myself had issues with anxiety around crowds and the like, we would meet at designated places and plan to stay for a short while and in this way feel a bit connected with this local institution. What i discovered was that the vibe was indeed very eclectic, by that i mean that the type of festival goer was so varied, old, young, black, white, it did seem that there was a real mix of people- that all these people were up for a party was the commonality. People near the stage were the dancers but not too far away the picnic goers would be camped, BBQ’s going, stripy windbreakers in place, all that kind of thing.
The performers come from all parts of world that has African lineage, so Britain is represented as well as south America as well of the many countries of the African continent. The performers too are a real mix in terms of age and experience, teens to octogenarians are up there on stage strutting their stuff or indeed sitting down if that is the best advice from here doctors while performing. Head lining this year was a band from the Dominican Republic of Congo called Staff Bendi belili. These guys became famous some years ago as the subject of a documentary about life on the street in Kinshasa were they plied there musicianship to make ends meet, many unable to work due to physical disability. Amazing story of resilience and to get to see these heroes in my local park for free is just unreal.
This year was a bit different for me in that I was volunteering on a stall at the festival, one of a ring of tents and marquees selling food, clothes, cd’s with others promoting a service of sorts. I was on the Consortium stall and we were promoting a mental health services for BAMER communities in the city. I also got a chance to promote the park activities from Pets and Pals. I have to say that the dogs love the festival too, so much part of the day. Some years ago, one of my first, i recall great fun being had by this ball game that was going on where a battered casey ball was being winged across the crowd, 20 to 30 yrds and this little staffie type dog was the chaser, weaving between people following the balls trajectory, it went on for about 15 minutes. On the Saturday the weather was glorious and I observed so many people hanging out with their dogs that the following day I went with the intention of capturing them on film. The change in weather put paid to that idea. When it started to rain about 2pm I was glad to be under the cover of the marquee although I could see the small city of umbrella’s by the stage and make out the dancing and cheering. The numbers of festival goers was a fraction of the previous day and we decided to close the stall early, about 4. I was umming and arring about whether to call it a day myself but a few people I knew were up for staying so I was persuaded to hang on a bit. Five hours later i was still there-it was still raining but by then I didn’t care. I had done that much dancing and what with dipping under umbrellas and going off for warm drinks when the bands weren’t on, I was absolutely fine.
I met up with a friend called Natty who I hadn’t seen in over 18months and we were dancing together. She was lovin’ the rain and said as much, I thought about it and decided I did too. Perhaps through adversity we discover different sides to ourselves. When the end came and some of the organisers came on to say there thankyou’s it was really touching, he pointed out all those in the audience who go the extra mile to make this festival what it was, he had a name for us, the ‘Oye Ultra’s’. Am I an ‘Ultra’ I wondered, I decided I was indeed an ‘Ultra’ and when the final call of the event was made, for probably the thousandth time that weekend, A-F-R-I-C-A-A-A! I hooted back O-Y-E-E, we are so lucky to have you