"This edition was a daring bet"

Nights of Africa

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In July 1987, Mr. Lamine Touré, president and founder of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, launched the first edition, at the Club Balattou on boulevard Saint-Laurent, in Montreal, and democratized in North America this musical wealth from Africa. , the West Indies and Latin America. For 35 years, this cultural event has played a leading role in the music industry on a local, national and international scale.

As a result, from July 6 to 18, this festival celebrated its thirty-fifth anniversary. Despite the health situation marked by the Coronavirus pandemic, this edition was an unprecedented moment of sharing and emotion around African culture. What conclusions can be drawn from this edition of the Nuits d’Afrique international festival, AFRIK had the privilege of discussing with Suzanne Rousseau, General Director of this festival. Below, the substance of this interview.

AFRIK : This year marks the 35^e Edition of the Nuits d’Afrique international festival, by the way what should we retain from these 35 years of atmospheres, meetings and the promotion of African creativity?

Suzanne Rousseau: For us, it is important to support, promote and disseminate artists and creators of world music on the national and international scene. As a result, we offered an exceptional showcase to artists of the cultural diversity of here and supported them in the development of their careers. We find these artists there, who have become legends today. The Festival was a gateway to North America for them.

This Edition was disturbed by the health situation marked by the pandemic, as an organizer, what assessment do you make at the end of this 35^e Festival edition?

With the health situation, we had to adapt our projects and our organization throughout the year. Our main objective has always remained intact: To continue to promote our artists, here and internationally, by offering unifying artistic and cultural events around the cultures of Africa, Latin America and the West Indies.

This 35^e edition was a daring bet that we won hands down, with pride! Emotions, smiles, surprises and applause were there to celebrate this very special anniversary. Whether indoors, outdoors or on a webcast, the artists and the audience responded enthusiastically. What a pleasure it was for us to find festival-goers in this festive atmosphere.

This particular edition revealed our ability to adapt to many constraints. While emphasizing our primary desire to offer unifying events of great artistic and human quality, the entire team has relentlessly built an innovative and exceptional project. I am not only satisfied, but also admiring the work done by each of us to breathe new life into this very special edition.

Indoor concerts

Of the 18 concerts presented indoors, 15 were sold out. Here is tangible proof that the public was eager to see, hear and applaud the hundreds of world music artists, who offered exceptional performances, at the National, at the Ministry and at the Balattou Club.

Outside

Outdoor activities awaited festival-goers. For six days, every day, at the Parterre du Quartier des spectacles, in downtown Montreal, traffic reached its full capacity on the site bathed in a friendly atmosphere with sounds from Africa, Latin America and Caribbean. With our 2 cabarets, Cabaret Nuits d’Afrique and Cabaret Tombouctou, festival-goers were able to tour the world with 37 artists from 23 countries, thanks to 42 performances, events and demonstrations. People felt like they were together with family.

Every evening, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., a sound and light show, a Great Nuits d’Afrique Concert and a rolling fire of highlights from the 35 years of the Festival were projected on the facade of the Maison symphonique. A magical journey beyond time and space that festival-goers adored. What a pleasure to get together with family or friends, in the open air, after all this time, in a festive atmosphere that offers a world tour in music, said the festival-goers.

In webcast

The party would not have been complete without an international presence. Exclusive shows on an exceptional scale, the opening and closing evenings have revived the outstanding performances of international artists, throughout the three decades of the Festival. The opening night, Le Bal de d’Afrique Enchantée – special anniversary, captured at the Studio de l’Ermitage in Paris and presented on Facebook Live Nuits d’Afrique on July 6, reached nearly 66,000 people.

As for the closing evening, Nuits d’Afrique wanted to share the highlights of these 35 years and highlight 12 international artists of great talent, who were irresistible favorites for the public, from 1999 to 2015. Although the count is not complete, this show has gathered 26,000 people to date.

What were the innovations of this 35^e Edition ?

For us, this 35^e edition was a resounding success at all levels. Adaptation, resilience and innovation. The festival had to adapt the layout of its outdoor site in order to respect the many current constraints.

Whether through the 2 cabarets, Nuits d’Afrique and Timbuktu, the monumental screenings and the general layout of the site (Entrances, exits, limited capacity), this edition was marked by our desire to offer a grandiose event while responding the exceptional and exceptional conditions of the current health situation. We have fitted out the outdoor site with new giant structures specially designed for Nuits d’Afrique. These structures harmonized gracefully with the sound and light projections on the facade of the Maison symphonique. Due to the closing of the borders and in the absence of the Grande Scène where international artists regularly performed, we had to adapt the artistic direction. Outside, the shows on this Grande Scène have been replaced by impressive and avant-garde monumental projections, every evening from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

To these screenings, we have added a second cabaret offering many acoustic shows and animations and monumental screenings. In addition, through 2 major webcasts for the opening and closing evenings, we have maintained the “international” dimension of our Festival. This has enabled thousands of people around the world to benefit from and participate in this 35^e editing.

Besides the pandemic, what are the other challenges that this edition has faced?

While respecting the health restrictions, always changing and evolving during this period, we had to face many challenges. We have worked to offer a suitable, innovative and quality anniversary edition with the constant fear of a last minute cancellation. However, the will to continue and to remain present in the hearts of the public and of our artists did not cease to animate us during this period.

Despite the difficulties and fears of a cancellation, we have decided to offer indoor and outdoor shows in front of a public. Despite the limited number of places available, it was a success. The majority of our shows were sold out.

The layout of the exterior portion of the Festival was reorganized many times, until the last day of preparation. Whether it is the scenography, the layout of the cabarets, the layout of the entrances and exits… everything had to be rethought and adapted by our teams. The Parterre in the Quartier des spectacles also reached its maximum capacity every day. Proof that the public was impatiently awaiting the return of the festival. In addition, because of the closed borders, we had to adapt the programming. For indoor concerts, the limited number of places forced us to refuse many people. But everyone understood that this was an exceptional situation.

After the close of this edition, the 36^e has been announced for the month of July 2022, in a short way, what should we expect in terms of innovation for the next edition?

Next year, we hope to be able to offer an edition under optimal conditions for public reception. Our ambition is to increase the size of the outdoor part of the Festival. In addition to the Parterre in the Quartier des spectacles, the Festival will take over the Esplanade Tranquille, and will offer 2 large stages for our international artists.

In addition, the large market, a major focal point and meeting point for the Festival, made up of many artisans and traders, should see the light again next year. Building on the success of this year’s concerts, the shows in several Montreal venues will also be repeated next year. We also hope to find our internationally renowned artists and offer a rich, varied and high artistic quality program. The live recording of a dozen shows that will be broadcast on the web in the fall will help maintain this link that is so important to us, between our public, here and abroad, and our artists.