2017 started with a bang with Okayafrica Electrafrique’s return under the beautiful Dakar night skies.
For this episode, co-produced with Kaani and Jokkolabs, resident DJ Cortega welcomed two headliners for their highly-anticipated return to Dakar: DJ Moma repping for Sudan-via-NYC, and Sabine Blaizin, the Bed-Stuy-based Haitian high priestess of soul.
Each DJ offered a very personal take on contemporary dance music, which kept the crowd bouncing past 4AM, by which time the good people at Maison de la Culture Douta Seck had no choice but to pull the plugs.
With Cortega and Moma going back-to-back Everyday Afrique-style on opening and closing duties, Sabine took the peak of the night, bringing the diverse audience to another dimension with her Afro-Caribbean inspired ancestral soul. It’s like the whole event created an ephemeral, but profound, sense of happiness and community through dance and music.
Take a tour of the event with these snaps by Dasilvio Bizenga, a talented Angolan-Congolese photographer who’s been capturing the energy of the Dakar’s streets for several years. Live painting by graffiti artist Mad Zoo provided an edgy background for a mini-studio shoot, also by the man Bizenga.
There were lots of good vibes and lots of stylish folks, with peeps like the Dakar Lives fam, fashion designer Bull Doff, the artist PAPI and his crew, the Compagnie La Mer Noire dance collective, and photographer Antoine Tempe come by for the party, among many others.
