Nijmegen is full of love. This much we know now after just the 2nd edition of Africa Night Nijmegen. Africa Night is already being warmly embraced like a long lost and newly returned prodigal daughter. Unlike Tilburg where we created the Africa themed party from scratch, Nijmegen had a long tradition of Africa themed party. But somewhere along the line many of these shows have long stopped or are just in a kind of self-induced coma. However that is never a guarantee that Africa Night would be welcomed with open arms in Nijmegen. That is why we have been so overwhelmed by the reception so far.
When you consider that last Saturday was a traditional family night in Holland. Everybody was supposed to stay home with family and exchange gifts, feast and just chill. Against this backdrop, this edition of Africa Night Nijmegen was a big success. Although many of those who came the first time in November stayed at home (with family), number wise, more people came this time than the first time! And what fun they all had! Highlight of course was the way our South African guests reacted when the music of DJ Cleo (Sky is the limit) was played. We can still hear the scream of joy in our ears as they danced to good old Kwaito!
What was also nice is the symbiotic relationship Tilburg and Nijmegen have with each other. Tilburg – Nijmegen is about an hour’s drive. The lovers of Africa Night in both cities have always found the distance not a big problem on their way to experiencing the Africa Night fun. It is an old tradition that many people from Nijmegen always come to Africa Night Tilburg. Now Tilburg seems to be returning the favour big time! So many familiar Tilburg faces at last Saturday’s show it felt like a reunion. Which makes us wonder; why do Tilburg and Almere not have the same kind of magnetic attraction to/for each other. It is so rare to see people from Tilburg gracing Africa Night Almere even though the trip takes just 20 minutes longer than to Nijmegen. Just a thought.
Once again, thank you Nijmegen for the warm embrace! Let’s meet again on the 7th of January 2012 to do an encore! And if you cannot wait that long, there is always Africa Night Tilburg (17-12-2011) and Africa Night Almere (24-12-2011) in between.
Discover the joy of African music & dance!
