Africa Days begins on Danube Island

Africa Days will take place daily on the grounds of Donauensel until the end of August. Highlights of the festival include performances by various artists making African music. Africa Days will open Friday at 8:15pm with Afro Pop and girl power by West African Ghanaian singer and artist Habiba. The winner of “The Voice” Laura Aya will perform with her band on Friday. Starting at 6pm, you will mix Afro-Colombian beats with different music genres.

Reggae fans can look forward to the Inner Circle band on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. This is inspiring with pop-oriented Jamaican beats and energetic live performances. Another highlight, according to the organizer of Africa Days, Medhat Abdel-Aty, was the appearance of Bombino, one of the best guitarists in the world. The Nigerian musician will perform on Tuesday 15th August. 8:30 p.m. at the festival. On Monday August 28th the festival will end at 8:30pm with reggae band Trancitiv and special guest Nthakoana Nthakoana.

More than 100 workshops are planned

The Ago Group, which will provide entertainment with African dance performances and drumming, is an important part of the supporting programme. In addition, more than 100 workshops will provide insights into the multifaceted culture of Africa. “Visitors can attend all kinds of courses. From yoga to drum and dance courses to traditional coffee making,” said Abdelati, delighted with the wide range of offerings. For the little ones, there is a children’s program “Once to Africa and Back” with a daily changing handicraft programme.

There will also be a bazaar at the festival where all kinds of items can be purchased. For example, jewellery, baskets and cutlery from different regions of Africa can be bought there. Moroccan and Tunisian ceramic dishes are very popular with visitors. Abdel Ati was satisfied with the bazaar: “It was important to me that African culture be presented as faithfully as possible at the festival. We were able to do that with the bazaar.”

African specialties “for every taste”

The days of Africa will also leave nothing to be desired in terms of cooking. On numerous bazaar platforms, festival visitors are invited to embark on a culinary journey through Africa. In the Nigerian pavilion, for example, gourmets can be won over with Egussi Soup, which is a soup made from meat, dried fish and melon seeds, or Ikokore, which is a soup made from fish and sweet potatoes.

In the Egyptian pavilion you can try dishes such as koshari, which is a dish made with rice, lentils, onions, garlic, chickpeas and tomato sauce, or halva which is a tahini paste. But Abdelati’s favorite dishes are available at a Moroccan Berber stall. “Here you get feta cheese, falafel and vegetables of different kinds served in a rolled flatbread,” explains the organizer.

With public transportation to Africa.

This year, too, the organizer tried to stage the festival as an environmental event. This encourages visitors to travel to the Danube Island by public transportation. Apart from mobility, the organizer also wants to implement sustainability in other areas. “We did not distribute any leaflets this year, and there will be no disposable cutlery to avoid waste,” says Abdel Aty. At the same time, attempts are being made to promote fair and ethical trade products.

The festival takes place daily from 2 pm to midnight. Except on Sundays, when the gates open at 11 am. Ticket prices are 12 euros each. Admission is slightly more expensive at Six Days due to the higher fees for the artists who perform there. Mondays are always charity days, so there is no entry fee at the festival on Mondays.