40th edition of the Nuits d'Afrique music festival comes to a close

Forty years after its first edition, Montreal’s Nuits d’Afrique international music festival once again celebrated the influence of African cultures.

Its founders left nothing to chance, starting with a line-up of hand-picked artists. One of them was the Ivorian music legend May-way, who composed the 40th-anniversary anthem ‘Unis par les Nuits’ (‘United by the Nights’), a choral piece bringing these voices together in honour of the event.

“For an artist, being associated with an event of this calibre means that we matter to the festival itself and to African music," Meiway told Africanews, "because this festival has given so much to African music, and I believe the least we could do to honour them is to be here, and I’m here to express my gratitude to the whole team that has done so much to promote art and our traditions here in Canada.”

Among the festival’s headliners was the Guadeloupean icon Admiral T, who set the crowd alight:

“It’s true that this isn’t the first time – it’s the fourth time. It’s the second time I’ve closed the festival and headlined. It’s certainly true that, as someone of African descent, this is a very special festival that resonates deeply with us. Nuits d’Afrique represents something powerful, but I love this festival because when I come here, people are incredibly warm and welcoming, especially at Nuits d’Afrique, so for me it’s always a pleasure."

And so the Nuits d’Afrique international festival comes to an end, but Montrealers can continue to discover or rediscover African artists from the local and international scenes at the city’s Club Balattou.