Opening ceremonies are usually formal, with long speeches that dampen the atmosphere. But this was not the case for the 4th edition of the Stéréo Africa Festival, which was held at the Cervantes Institute on May 6, 2025, just before the start of this musical event that has become a must-see in the artistic landscape of Dakar, Senegal.
And for the occasion, several acoustic performances were on the menu which put us in the best conditions to welcome this meeting of music lovers.
To kick things off, none other than Moussa Traoré, winner of the 3rd Unplugged edition of the festival in 2024, accompanied by his guitar. He shared a piece paying homage to his native Casamance, but also to the greats of the kora, an instrument he seems to love.
In the audience were cultural figures, representatives of ministries and cultural institutions, and, of course, many music lovers. The embassies of Colombia and Burkina Faso were also represented, the former having contributed to the arrival of artist Elkin Robinson. He comes from a little-known region of Colombia, Providence, where they primarily speak an English dialect, similar to that of Jamaica. He was one of the artists scheduled for this opening and shared his music, which is a blend of calypso and country, with a touch of soca at times. Among the themes addressed in his songs are climate change and the cuisine of his native region, which has its origins in Africa. Even though it was his first time in Senegal, he already feels at home there, since his ancestors come from this continent. He was also accompanied by his guitar, to which he added a kind of maracas attached to his fingers.
I’ll end with the performance that touched me the most. A name to remember: Nelida Karr from Equatorial Guinea. This country, often overlooked artistically, is now on my radar. This woman with a powerful voice wowed us with her breathtaking performance. Accompanied by her all-white guitar and transforming the rhythms of a traditional instrument from her native country into a guitar, she moved us with her contagious smile and the range of her voice. She sometimes reminded me of Buika, but with a less raspy voice. She addressed the audience in Spanish, the language spoken in her country, although she seems to be fluent in English and French. After her performance, she was approached from all sides by captivated music lovers as well as the press who wanted to know more about her.
The evening ended at the Bazoff, with a Jazz Up specially prepared for the occasion. A quartet composed of exceptional artists delivered an evening of jazz improvisations just the way we like them. Guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards are the necessary ingredients for a festival-opening jam. This quartet was joined by an exceptional trumpeter from Congo, who completed the group. Together, they provided us with a memorable evening, with festival founder Sahad Sarr taking the stage for a song, as well as other musicians present in the room who took turns performing.
If this opening was of this caliber, I wonder what it will be like once the festival actually begins. To find out, we’ll be at the French Institute tonight for the official opening of the 2025 edition of the SAF.
Photo Credit: Cheikh Oumar Diallo
