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AquaRafiki
Jul. 17, 2013 01:30PM EST

Gallery: Senegal's Asamaan Festival of Music and Astronomy

Stars and african music were featured at the Asamaan Festival of Astronomy and Music in Dakar, Senegal this past april.

A night illuminated with stars and music, the Asamaan Festival of Music and Astronomy took place at Goree Island in Dakar, Senegal on April 19th. The three main objectives of the festival were to combine video, music and astronomy for educational and artistic purposes. The Senegalese Astronomy Association (ASPA) and Ker Thiossane, a digital art center, both produced the festival.

The festival consisted of three main stages with headliners Noura Mint Seymali (Mauritana), Jay Ghandi (USA/India) and Elhadji Noumoucounda Cissoko (Senegal). Noura's powerful vocals alongside moorish guitars, Jay's eclectic bansuri flute and Elhadji's Kora music serenaded the night. Images of stars were projected onto the main stage alongside the music to engage the crowd. For those of us who unfortunately couldn't attend the festival, Noura and Jay wrote a song offstage, while at the festival, that has echoes of the live show. View Joe Penney's pictures from the festival in the gallery above.

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Image courtesy of Daily Paper

Wekafore Releases Fela Kuti Inspired Collab With Daily Paper

The one-of-a-kind 'The Spirit Don't Die' capsule collection celebrates African heritage and a hope for a brighter future.

Amsterdam-based African streetwear brand Daily Paper has joined Nigerian fashion brand Wekafore in creating a unique capsule collection of note. The 'The Spirit Don't Die' collection is inspired by fashion and Nigerian activism icon Fela Kuti, but celebrates the bountiful beauty, potential, and heritage of Africans.

Nigerian designer Wekaforé Maniu Jibril, owner, and designer of the Wekafore brand has been hot since his 2013 debut. The brand has gone on to become a great success within the realm of West African fashion. Wekaforé represents a newer, more fearless generation of African designers and their latest collaborative collection tells the tale.

Daily Paper x Wekaforé 'The Spirit Don't Die' collectionImage courtesy of Daily Paper


The two popular brands share a rich history and intention to further African fashion's reputation in the world, as well as as a shared desire for raw necessity, organic growth, and authentic community engagement, development and, support. The fashion brands are making it known that street and casual wear are more than we once thought - fashion can be inclusive and fun. The stars truly aligned to bring us this partnership guided by similar core values and the hunger to celebrate Africa and her diasporas through fashion.

The Fela Kuti-inspired collection is filled with distinctive and bold pieces, honoring Africa's past while paving the way towards the future. Wekafore is known for their clear integration of West Africa's 1970's cultural golden age, and this limited collection speaks to those themes, making it a no-brainer to dedicate the line to the legendary King of Afrobeat, whose style never disappointed. It's clear to see how Kuti's influence inspired the exciting and vibrant creative renaissance seen in the collection. On using Kuti as his muse, Wekaforé says, "Like Fela, the pieces are very punk, very psychedelic, and very African at the same time. And that represents me 100%. And I think being able to speak that way through a platform like Daily Paper is a testament to contemporary African consciousness."


Image courtesy of Daily Paper

Daily Paper x Wekafore 'The Spirit Don't Die' Collection

Check out more of Daily Paper x Wekafore's collection 'The Spirit Don't Die' collection here.

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