The Africa Oyé festival has been nominated for the National Diversity Awards 2024.
The festival, which takes place in Liverpool’s Sefton Park each June, hosts the largest celebration of live African music in the UK.
The event harnesses the spirit of multiculturalism and tolerance, with a range of artists from across Africa.
Starting in 1992, the festival began with a series of small gigs in the city centre before moving to its present home at Sefton Park in 2002.
Ally Goodman, project coordinator for the festival, said: “This is the first time we’ve been nominated for these prestigious awards and it means an awful lot to the whole Africa Oyé team. We have always taken pride in our festival bringing together all communities and welcoming families and individuals from all walks of life”.
“When we say the festival is ‘free for all’ we mean just that; no one should be excluded from being able to attend at least one festival a year that they can afford and where they feel welcomed”.
Those in the festival’s lineup include Def MaMa Def and Bob Marley’s grandsons’ band, Julian Marley and the uprising.
As well as live music, there will be over 90 stalls selling the best food, drink, arts and crafts and fashion from Africa and beyond.
Further acts have also been announced for the festival, including the Congolese eco-friendly punks, Fulu Miziki and gospel talent, Florence Adooni as well as many more exciting acts.
The National Diversity Awards were founded in 2012 by Paul Sesay to celebrate the excellent achievements of grass-root communities that tackle important issues in today’s society.
The awards have shone a light on the work of some of the UK’s most inspirational diversity champions and to date have recognised over 1,000 shortlisted nominees.
