Nuits d’Afrique: The Legacy of a Festival That Has Become a Must-See Event

Interview by Sandra Gasana
Genres and styles : Africa / Amérique latine / Caribbean

Additional Information

As we do every year, the PAN M 360 team is getting ready to cover the Nuits d’Afrique International Festival, one of the highlights of our summer. But this year will be special, as it marks the 40th edition, and the organizers intent on making it a memorable one. For the occasion, we spoke with Suzanne Rousseau, Executive Director of Productions Nuits d’Afrique and co-founder of the Nuits d’Afrique International Festival. She is therefore uniquely positioned to give us an overview of the past 40 years, sharing the highlights, the defining years, the festival’s evolution, and the reasoning behind this year’s programming. A first this year: the anthem created especially for the 40th anniversary, with music composed by Meiway and featuring collaborations from several artists—a sort of “We Are the World” to mark this milestone. With Oumou Sangaré opening and Tiken Jah Fakoly closing—both of whom made their debut in Montreal with Nuits d’Afrique—this reflects the richness of this special program. Our reporter Sandra Gasana spoke with Suzanne Rousseau for PAN M 360.







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