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Entertainment

Africa Meets Harlem and Belongó Celebrates Hispanic Heritage

todayOctober 8, 2024 2

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It was a busy Afropop Sunday in Harlem on October 6. Starting at 11AM at, Arturo O’Farrill and his consummate band, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra hosted a celebration of Hispanic Heritage in New York with an opening set, and a full afternoon of performances at the Robert Frederick Smith Center in Riverside State Park. The event was a rally and celebration of the coming Casa Belongó Music and Arts Center, a coming performance and learning facility for preserving all the musics of the Americas. As O’Farrill noted, groundbreaking begins in 2025, and the planned opening is in 2027. The crowd at Riverside Park was not waiting to kick off the dancing. They were on their feet at noon!

(Photos by Banning Eyre)

It was tough to leave this lively scene, but we had to head to the Marcus Garvey Amphitheater for an event, co-sponsored by Afropop Worldwide, the second annual Harlem Meet Africa festival. Natu Camara, a fast-rising singer/bandleader from Guinea, has for years embraced Harlem as her home, and has worked tirelessly with a dedicated team to make this event part of an ongoing celebration of Harlem’s deep African roots and vibrant African life today. Camara gave the closing set of the day, but before that, eight other Harlem-based groups took the stage, starting with a rousing percussion blowout led by Mamoudou Konaté, followed by some delightful African dance by Harlem Youth Performers. And we’re talking youth!

Nkumu Katalay revved things up nicely with a strong shot of Congolese dance music. The man is a dynamo on stage, and the Congo vibe hit the spot just right on a sunny Harlem afternoon.