Wanlov To Perform @ Francophone Month Festival

Afro pop/highlife star, Wanlov Kubolor, will on Saturday, March 12, lighten up the Alliance Française with a series of tunes from his latest album titled ‘African Gypsy’, which was inspired by music from the Gypsies.

The Romanian-born Kubolor will exhibit his recent compositions as part of a number of performances lined up for the 2011 edition of Francophone Month, which would also feature musicians from several French speaking countries.

Wanlov, who recently benefited from a residency programme in Paris (France), dubbed ‘Visa for Creation’, with the support of L’institut Francais and the French Embassy in Accra, is set to showcase fresh skills and ideas acquired during the training programme.

During his three-month stay in France for the ‘Visa for Creation’ project, Wanlov found the inspiration to write songs for ‘African Gypsy’, which was produced by Pidgen Music in Accra. He is expected to be joined on stage by French accordion player Jerome Pierre Soulas and violinist Filippo Bonini Baraldi, who will be in Accra for the performance.

Noted for his skirt-like costumes and barefoot trademark, Wanlov has collaborated and shared stages with Femi Kuti, The Gorillaz, Nneka, Bashy, Zwai Balas, Reggie Rockstone, Little Brother and many others.

He has been featured on BBC 1XTRA, BBC World and Al Jazeera’s ‘Playlist’. He is part of an Afropop duo known as the FOKN Bois, made up of himself and M3nsa. Together, the FOKN Bois wrote and starred in the world’s first pidgin musical film titled ‘Coz Ov Moni’, which is touring cinemas and film festivals around the world.

Friday, March 11, will witness Togolese story teller Osagyefo Louis alongside a group of traditional musicians and dancers, who will tell the story of Nana Yaa Asantewa, a queen mother of Ejisu (Ashanti region) who is reputed to have fought battles with British colonial troops.

The performance will encompass story telling interspersed with songs, music, light dances and rich Ashanti traditions and culture. Loud traditional drums, flutes, bells, shakers and other local instruments will combine to make the evening an eventful one.

On the same day, an exhibition of pictures by French photographer Philippe Sibelly will be opened as part of programmes for the month. Images on display would depict the new vision of the African continent. It is articulated around three main themes – portraits of African workers from the emerging middle class, cityscapes at night and shots of radio presenters.

The Francophone Month is being sponsored by the French Embassy, Alliance Française and member states of La Francophonie represented in Ghana.