No-shows by Burna Boy, Tems, and more left fans disappointed at the first inaugural Afro Nation Puerto Rico — but festival organizers tell RS they're redoubling their commitment to celebrating Afrobeats' global reach.
“Every single artist that canceled was booked, contracted, and paid to do the job,” Afro Nation co-founder Obi Asika says in an email to. “Every single artist that canceled had a very reasonable reason to cancel, including Covid-related issues, illness, and difficulty in securing visas in time. Only one artist did not have a valid reason to cancel. None of these issues were the result of anything the festival did.
Although Afro Nation launched three years ago, organizers still see the festival as their baby, adding that they are in constant development, learning from mistakes, and need space and time to do better. Asika adds: “We have lobbied to change some of these systems and will continue to advocate for this. One of the main aims of Afro Nation is to give a platform to artists who don’t have the same opportunities as artists in the West. People should not make comparisons between what an American or European artist is able to do compared to an African artist, in terms of ease of movement around multiple countries [and] touring.
That history is reflected in bomba, a traditional style of expression that consists of drummers and dancers and originated in Puerto Rico’s African communities. When enslaved Africans were forced to work on Puerto Rico’s sugar plantations, they brought over their traditional dancing and drumming styles; that influence, coupled with Puerto Rico’s history of being colonized by Spain and later the U.S., led to a blend of cultures that left a huge imprint on the island.
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