”This event, due to its threefold political nature, and it being on a Thursday will be hugely suitable for students. It is political in that, as it takes place on October 6th, it is a celebratory event for Black History month. The performances, moreover, will be headed by three African refugee artists: Mulele Matondo (Congolese), Aar Maanta (Somali) and Awate (Eritrean). This cultural music event, which will be in enArena, Globen, will hopefully be an introductory event in Stockholm to the globally under-represented music and musicians of Africa. The three gifted artists’ music often cover political content, whilst simultaneously engaging a host of wonderful sounds and beats.

AAR MAANTA: produces a mix of styles blended with traditional Somali music, including the classical oud-centred Qaraami (“love songs”) style of the 1940s. In 2006, Aar Maanta held his first notable performance at Rise: London United, the UK’s largest multi-cultural festival. There, he played alongside Graham Coxon, The Buzzcocks, and other prominent acts. Aar Maanta has since worked with various other artists including Algerian Raï singer Abdelkader Saadoun, UK hip hop group the Choong Family, and Somali musicians Maryam Mursal and Ahmed ‘Hudeydi’ Ismail Hussein. In 2008, his debut album Hiddo & Dhaqan was released, featuring tracks such as “Asalamu Alaykum”, “Saafi” and “Dhadhami”. Aar Maanta is described by young Somalis in the UK as “the voice of our generation” because his songs discuss a range of issues of interest to Somali immigrants. A multi-instrumentalist, he plays the keyboard and oud, the latter of which is a staple of traditional Somali, Arabic and North African music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6hPm_2QlGU

AWATE: Awate is a rapper and producer of Eritrean descent from London’s Camden. Having started out at the age of 12, he started collaborating and performing at an early age, gaining fans like Idris Elba and Yasiin Bey. Featured on BBC 1Xtra and KISS FM, Awate toured worldwide with emcee, Lowkey for four years and has supported the likes of Jay Electronica and Smif n Wessun. Using the dusty, psychedelic funk samples provided by Dcypha label head, Turkish, Awate’s first release is the long awaited EP and culmination of his talents, Shine Ancient.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj3byq3p7C4

MULELE MATONDO AFRIKA: (who will be performing with his band Kongo Dia Ntotila whom were recently featured on BBC Mixtape) Born and raised in Kinshasa, DRC, Mulele’s music is influenced by the rich sounds and rhythms of Afrika*. Mulele played professionally from the late 1990s, enjoying success early in his career in Southern Afrika, as bassist, guitarist and arranger with a flair for Kongolese styles still popular there today. Affected by endless conflict back home, and inspired by outspoken artists before him, Mulele’s first solo album Prophecy (2012), marked a change in musical direction with bold lyrics tackling socio-political issues. In 2014, with a high calibre of DRC artists, he recorded the Kinshasa Singles. He also organised the first Festival for Peace in his home town of Matete, which went down in history as the most peaceful all-ages public event the area had seen in decades. He was honoured with an ‘Ambassador of Peace’ title by the local government for his contribution to the community. Currently, he is completing an EP with new afro-jazz project, Kongo Dia Ntotila; producing other artists; and making music videos for forthcoming new singles. His second solo album project, Biso Pasi, is also in the pipeline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY0yc6le2jI