Going out can sometimes be as simple as 1, 2, 3. That people who come to Africa Night are as diverse as the human race is a no-brainer. Africa is the mother continent. The music world draws it influences from Africa. Be it Salsa, Jazz, Latin, Hip-hop, Reggae, even House and Rock music. It is no wonder that many people of different races come to Africa Night to have a taste of the sound from the source of music.
There have always been some short-sighted and small-minded people who, when they see the pictures of Africa Night, say it is more of a European party than an African party! Their argument being that there are so many Europeans coming to the party. An African party has to been mainly for Africans. What a stupidity! Firstly, it is not an African party. If it was we would have named it African Night. It is an Africa-themed party, which is why we call it Africa Night! Can you see the subtle difference? Africa & Africans have 2 different meanings.
The theme is Africa. It means everybody and everyone who loves Africa or is curious about Africa is welcome. The colour of your skin does not matter. Secondly, if you have good taste in music, then Africa Night is all for you! And if you even know the racial composition of Africa, you will not query the diversity of the people coming to Africa Night. The diversity of the people coming to Africa Night has always been its strength.
In the last couple of years, there have been many offshoot parties where the themes are Afrohouse, Afro-retro , Afrobeats and even the numerous Kizomba parties. It makes us feel very proud that more and more people are discovering the African sound. New genres are being created and creativity has to be appreciated and rewarded. Every one of these parties and concepts is unique. What has always set Africa Night apart from the rest is the diversity of the guests. In none of the other concepts would you find an 18 year old and a 70 year old share the same dance floor. In none of those other parties would you find out you don’t need to be flashy and loud to attract attention or to be respected. Yes the average age at Africa Night is much higher than the average “going-out” age in Europe. But that is the way we always wanted it. We always wanted to have a place where everyone feels welcome irrespective of age, sex, religion, or social status. Everyone, young or old deserves to have fun. At Africa Night we provide the atmosphere for this to happen.
The July edition of Africa Night Tilburg has come and gone and as usual there were no troubles. People, many of them coming alone, come in feeling safe and happy. They leave feeling happy and hopefully, satisfied. It is sometimes difficult to satisfy 150 very diverse people at one show. But we try our best to find a good balance. We are happy to welcome you to Africa Night. We celebrate the diversity. Africans should be proud that our music is being played now all over the world. It is one area where nobody looks down on Africa.
Africa Night is where we use music to win souls and change perceptions about Africa. Africa Night is music to the feet of people who are fun loving. See you again next month in Tilburg or in Rotterdam.
