Music In Africa to co-host concert in Cameroon

Macase is a popular band from Yaoundé with a unique sound dubbed ‘Bantu Groove’, which fuses international influences and Cameroon’s local rhythms. The group established themselves in 1998 with the release of their first album, Etam, and has since built a reputation for versatility and a high-quality live show, ensuring their popularity both at home and abroad, underlined by wins at the prestigious Kora and RFI Discoveries awards. Some of the artists who have launched their careers in Macase include Blick Bassy and Ruben Binam, among others. Under the leadership of bassist Serge Maboma, the band recently completed recording their fourth album, Issie.

Krotal is a legend of hip-hop in Cameroon, earning numerous awards and inspiring countless others during a career spanning over past 20 years. Danielle Eog Makadah, meanwhile, is young soul singer making waves with her seductive blend of neo-soul, jazz and spoken word found, showcased on her album Peace, Love and Light.

The upcoming concert in Yaoundé will be free to the public and is scheduled to take place from 7pm at the Goethe-Institut on Rue Mballa Eloumden in Yaoundé, site of the most recent Music In Africa AGM in October 2015. Attending the concert will be Dr. Norbert Spitz, the Goethe-Institut's Regional Director for sub-Saharan Africa, who will be visiting Cameroon.

In line with Music In Africa's mission to serve the African music sector with various 'offline' programmes and opportunities beyond the website itself, the event comes shortly after Music In Africa co-hosted a concert in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday 26 February, as well as an exchange and concert for Senegalese hip-hop artists to Munich, Germany in March 2015.

German exchange

The concert will also be a preview for the artists’ upcoming concert in Frankfurt, Germany, which is organized by Music In Africa and various partners, at the Musikmesse international music fair from 7 to 10 April. Themed Future Forum: Focus on Africa, the initiative is designed to place key focus on the African music sector for the first time in the event’s history. Music In Africa will be a key focus as one of the organisations playing a pivotal role in connecting the African music sector.

There will be a number of activities in Germany as part of this programme, including a showcase concert headlined by Macase, Danielle and Krotal, who will also be collaborating with German musicians after an exchange workshop at the Pop Academy in Mannheim, Germany.