ARTISTS
ARTHOUSE CINEMA NIAGARA 29.7.2026
Silent Legacy – Katseiden alla
The touching documentary film follows the life of a dancer-choreographer from Burkina Faso living in Finland
Sibiry lives between two very different worlds. Expectations, responsibilities, other people’s conceptions and his own identity intertwine in a film, where the choreographer from Burkina Faso living in Finland starts to miss his roots. To find a connection to his home village and to himself, Sibiry decides to return and respond to the pressures of an unequal world with a modest minibus. The film premiered at the Locarno film festival in 2025.
“Beyond the personal, the film extends out into a rumination on colonialism and its legacy” (Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film)
TELAKKA
30.7.2026
Baraka Issabu Quintet
The Baraka Issabu Quintet is a Helsinki-based afrojazz/afrofusion ensemble that brings together Tanzanian and Finnish musicians who connected through their studies in Finland.
The ensemble’s music, composed and arranged by Baraka Issabu, is built on East African rhythms and melodies expanded through jazz harmony and improvisation. The quintet will enchant both jazz audiences and fans of African music with its deep grooves and intense live presence.
LIBRARY METSO
31.7.2026
Yahya Sonko
Fest Afrika festival welcomes everyone from kids to adults to enjoy a moment of storytelling with music in Metso library. Yahya Sonko will share traditional African stories, passed on in his family over generations. He will be accompanied by kora, a 21-string harp-lute, which is central to griot music, and functions as both a musical and narrative instrument. Stories are told in English and in Finnish.
Yahya Sonko is a Gambian musician, cultural ambassador and peacebuilder currently based in Finland. His musical journey is deeply rooted in tradition, identity, and storytelling, shaped by both formal training and a rich inherited cultural heritage. He comes from a griot family with strong traditions linked with preserving oral traditions, cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge systems. Yahya feels a strong commitment to continue preserving these traditions, using music as a bridge between cultures and as a tool for dialogue and mutual understanding.
KOMEDIATEATTERIN
PALATSI 31.7.2026
Fanta Yayo
Fanta Yayo is Sweden’s finest djelimuso, a hereditary singer rooted in the rich West African song traditions. She started her career as a dancer in her home country Guinea, but has since toured as a singer with many West African artists, including Seckou Keita, Mamady Keita Jr and Afro Celt Sound System. In 2025, Fanta finally released her debut album Mamma consisting largely of her own songs.
Fanta Yayo will perform at Fest Afrika with her acoustic quartet that includes three of her long-time collaborators: Tapha Ndiongue, multi-instrumentalist, composer and music producer, Lamine Faty, percussionist, and Robin Cochrane, one of few Scandinavian balafon players. This band was created when Fanta was asked to sing for Oumou Sangare at a prize ceremony in Stockholm in 2024. It is a tight unit with a lot of collective experience and traditions to draw from.
KOMEDIATEATTERIN
PALATSI 31.7.2026
El Doxa
El Doxa is a group of musicians coming from different parts of Nigeria, now based in Finland. Together they complement each other with their diverse skills and vast musical knowledge.
The band performs a diverse and engaging blend of contemporary music styles, from the upbeat Nigerian highlife to other classic African repertoires, sometimes also music of other world cultures fused into afro vibe and grooves. Their performances are lively and highly entertaining.
KULTTUURIKESKUS
NEKALAB 1.8.2026
Trio Mandeng
Trio Mandeng’s music brings audiences to the roots of blues, jazz, and Latin. The delicately woven melodies of the kora and balafon harmonize with the earthy acoustic percussion, following the tradition of the West African Mande people.
The musicians of this Malian-Burkinabé-Guinean-Finnish trio are internationally acclaimed virtuosos of the genre. The song lyrics resonate in several West African languages, momentarily even with blue-and-white Finnish undertones. The musical language will be understood by all lovers of soulful acoustic live groove, regardless of their origins.
KULTTUURIKESKUS
NEKALAB 1.8.2026
J.C Muyonjo
J.C Muyonjo is a Ugandan interdisciplinary artist who works with music production, sound design, digital illustration, visual communication design, and other new media creative technologies. At the concert in Nekalab he will present music and artworks from the Abatuuze audio-visual project. The printed artworks (posters) will also be exhibited during the day in Nekalab with the audio-reactive visuals embedded in QR codes.
Abatuuze loosely translates to “inhabitants of the land” and the project navigates life between continents, exploring the complex interplay where identity, memory, and belonging are held in tension. J.C reckons that to be an inhabitant elsewhere is to become, by necessity, a translator of culture, of perception, of the stories others carry about a place they have never set foot in.
KULTTUURIKESKUS
NEKALAB 1.8.2026
Cheza Ngoma
Tampere-based Cheza Ngoma is a dance group with a focus on East African dances and rhythms. With the leadership of Menard Mponda they perform traditional dances and songs mostly from Tanzania.
Cheza Ngoma performed already at the first Fest Afrika and some original members are still with the group.
AFRO PARTY – SEMAFORI
1.8.2026
Mabs
Mabs is a Nigeria-born vocalist, song writer and producer who creates and performs music in Afrobeats, Pop and African contemporary R&B styles. His music can most easily be compared to his fellow Nigerian artists, such as Burna Boy and Boj.
He has also drawn inspiration from artists like Partynextdoor, Sade, Angelique Kidjo and Wizkid. Currently based in Finland, Mabs is preparing to release new music in 2026. His live performance will surely light up the crowd at Semafori!
