As Africa Night is approaching another milestone, we pause to reflect on the past 14 years. The first Africa Night took place in May 1998 in Tilburg. But the catalyst to the first show began years earlier. In those days (and some would say even these days) if you looked anything different than white, your chances of being allowed into the discotheques in Tilburg was greatly reduced. After having gone through the ups and downs of being turned back at the door for the most ridiculous of excuses, one became very frustrated. But nobody has ever changed anything in the world by sitting down and just feeling sorry for himself. So we decided to channel the frustration in to action, to turn the personal pain into a collective gain. And the Africa Night idea was born.
Even though the first show was in May 1998, the planning took a full 2 years. This means the planning started in 1996! The beauty of the human race is that for every 1 person who is afraid, there are tens of thousands of others who would dare. So a couple of discotheques turning us back in Tilburg did not mean there were no good people in Tilburg. The blatant fact was and still is, 99.99% of the people of Tilburg are just the best people you could ever wish for. (We have to say at this point that our experiences at the doors of the discotheques in Tilburg are not unique to Tilburg. We had the same experiences in Arnhem, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Venlo, Rotterdam etc.). So once we got into town to look for places to host Africa Night, the good people of Tilburg opened their arms to us and there was not a shortage of halls wanting to give our initiative a chance. Well, the rest as the saying goes, is history.
The metaphor of the Africa Night journey so far is vivid. The journey started on water and we are now finding our peace at the Oasis. Did you get that? Ok here we go; Africa Night started on a party ship (Partycentrum Albatros) then we went on land at Jazz podium Paradox and then went back to the ship again. From the water we went to the beautiful and picturesque forest (Bosvreugd, those who know it, know what we are talking about). From the forest we are now at Partycentrum Oase (Oase is Dutch for oasis). In between these journeys, Africa Night has been held in Rotterdam, Maastricht and Almere with varying degrees of success. Currently Africa Night is also having a good time in the beautiful city of Nijmegen.
Some detractors have sometimes accused us of being stubborn, arrogant and even being stupid. We take these as compliments because our public keeps voting with their dancing feet massively for us every time we have our shows. They are the ones that matter to us. They are the ones who know best. We listen to them and learn. And together we keep building something that is unique and special. From the moment they enter the dance floor we disappear into the background and let the clients be kings and queens of the night. It has always being that way and it will always remain that way. Some others have tried the same type of show we have in the past 14 years. Most have fallen by the wayside.
Take close look at the pictures of the April edition of Africa Night in Nijmegen and Tilburg and you will see the diversity of the crowd. We don’t think there are many shows where an 18 year old feels as comfortable as a 70 year old. Where parents bring their children and children bring their parents! It is Africa Night. It has never been an African Night. We never forget how and why we started, so we are open to all who are addicted like us to African music. We don’t care if you are from Timbuktu or Ulan Bator, black or blue, tall or short; if you love the music, we will provide the dancing space.
We look back with pride at what is built. It is the labour of love. While we are on this beautiful roller-coaster, we are going to enjoy the ride. So we invite you to join us in May as Africa Night celebrates its 14th anniversary. It is your party so don’t miss it!
Discover the joy of African music & dance!
