Africa Nouveau Festival Postpones Its 2017 Edition To A Different Date In 2018

Africa Nouveau - 2017, the music and arts festival that was slated for November (10th -12th) 2017 at Small World Country Club Athi River has been postponed. The festival will soon fall in early 2018. The postponement is due to increased concern with the perpetual suspense and escalating tensions around the election activities.

An official statement from the Africa Nouveau Festival team reads: “We feel it is best to move Africa Nouveau clear of the election period. We are currently working hard on securing new dates for early 2018 and you will be first to be advised when this is done. In the meantime, we kindly request you to put a hold on the plans you had with the festival as we wait for the new dates. Thank you again for your commitment and support towards Africa Nouveau Festival.”

The Africa Nouveau festival will maintain its over 20 music acts drawn from across Africa and the UK to light up it’s live music stage in early 2018. They include funky Nigerian electro-pop soul singer, Temi Doll Face, the multi-talented Muthoni the Drummer Queen (Kenya), the all-rounded artist and host of Podcast, Eugene Gecaga, Sauti Academy’s Njerae (Kenya), Shukid (Kenya), Basthma (Kenya), Emma Cheruto (Kenya), 7th Culture, Ayrosh, PHY (Kenya), Wanja Wahoro (Kenya), Tunji (Kenya), Sichangi (Kenya), Ayrosh (Kenya) and Nairobi Nu Wave favourites: EA Wave (Kenya), Taio (Kenya) and Steph Kapela (Kenya). All the artistes are set to perform at the 2-days/2-nights Africa Nouveau themed ‘Afrobubblegum’— a world full of fun, fierce and fantastical music, film and fashion, among other art forms.

Known for drawing Nairobi's coolest audience and lovers of lifestyle and arts, the upcoming Africa Nouveau will once again be a platform for discovering some of the most innovative Africans creating new style of music and sounds influencing Africa and the African Diaspora. The next edition will also showcase innovative new art by East African and British talent, thanks to its partnership with the British Council's East Africa Arts program. The program which creates connections between creatives from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and the UK will ensure that artists brought together at the festival will make and showcase new art to audiences. The artists will also share skills and forge networks between the creative sectors of the UK and East Africa.

Multiple experiences to look forward to will include good music vibes divided into a live music stage and an after-hours DJ stage that will present DJ Suraj, DJ Marfox (Portugal), DJ Spilulu (Congo) and Electrafrique represented by DJ Moma and DJ Cortega. A film stage in partnership with the Goethe Institute will feature filmmakers from across Africa, a style bazaar will feature fashion, accessories and homeware designer products, there will be a wellness zone in partnership with Africa Yoga Project that will feature zumba and yoga classes and wholesome organic refreshments, a renew and recharge zone by Ofgen Solar E-Cycle where revellers will create energy to charge phones by cycling and also a fully serviced camping experience complete with yummy food and drinks stalls. 

Two fresh music albums will also be dropping at the festival. Muthoni the Drummer Queen’s anticipated album ‘SHE’ which features her smash hit singles “Kenyan Message” and “Million Voice” and the album ‘PROJECT GREATNESS’ off Sichangi’s upcoming album. Both the artistes will exclusively perform never-before-released songs off their albums at Africa Nouveau. This will be the festival’s first encounter away from the city to pitch tent at Athi River’s Small World Country Club.