Let it be said

Let it be said that Africa Night is now 12 years old. Let it be said that without making a big deal out of it, the May edition of Africa Night was one of the biggest and the best Africa Nights ever. Let it be said that we are so proud of ourselves for making it this far even when others were falling by the wayside. Let it be said, that we have the best public in the whole world. Let it be said that without this public, Africa Night would have been consigned to the footnotes of history, like some other Africa themed shows in The Netherlands which are now in the graveyard of unsuccessful shows. Let it be said that we are giving it all to continue to be relevant to the needs of our public.

Let it be said that even when we’ve had to stop at old locations, it is mostly members of our public which help to find better places to continue our unbroken run. Let it be said that changing locations have been the bane of many African shows in The Netherlands. Let it be said that our Africa Night continue to buck this trend because the attendance always seems to grow significantly when we move to a new location. Let it be said that when we started in May 1998, we were happy to entertain. Let it be said that in May 2010 we are just as happy to entertain the patrons of Africa Night.

Let it be said that the guy who walked up to us last Saturday to announce that he was there the first time brought a sense of joy and pride to us. He reminded us (without saying it) of our sense of purpose and responsibilities to always strive to put our public first. Let it be said that we thank Canada, France, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Germany, Britain, Senegal, Nigeria, Gambia, Kenya, Surinam and some other foreign, far and exotic countries where people have specifically travelled from just to be part of our show. Let it be said that citizens of these counties and more who live around these shores always come to Africa Night. Let it be said that on a given Africa Night evening, citizens of all continents of the world are always present. Let it be said that The Netherlands, our host and adopted land, is always well represented. Let it be said that if countries and their leaders get along the way the Africa Night crowd do, we will not call this place planet Earth but planet Heaven.

Let it be said that our pledge and goal 12 years ago was to use music to emphasise that which unifies different peoples. Let it be said that when you come to a typical Africa Night, you will be a witness to the fact that music is a true unifier. As we enter the 13th year of sheer pleasure of organising Africa Night, let it be said that we are happy to say that since heavy snowstorms, sandstorms and rainstorms have never deterred our loyal public from coming to Africa Night, we shall always do our best to entertain you while this mutual musical journey lasts. Let is be said that we will continue to do this with humility and utmost love.