African music legends to play Lagos concert this August

Organised by event company Cloud 9, the event, which is planned to become an annual gathering, will recognise and honour the continent’s music icons while spotlighting its rich arts and culture scene.

Other programmed musicians for the two-night celebration include Nigerians Ebenezer Obey, Wasiu K1, Salawa Abeni, Bright Chimezie and Sir Shina Peters, with more names to be announced in due course.

“It is one event the world looks up to,” Yvonne Chaka Chaka said in a video message confirming her attendance. Obey added that the night would witness a display of owambe, the festive style popular with the Yoruba culture of Nigeria. “You get the foundation in so many African music genres, and you are going to get a lot of this at the African Legends Nite.”

Cloud 9 CEO Lekan Olarinde said the show would include the presentation of posthumous awards to Fela Kuti, Christy Essien-Igbokwe, Rex Lawson, Victor Olaiya and Orlando Owoh.

In related news, another African music legend, Angélique Kidjo, will perform at the Istanbul Jazz Festival in Turkey this September. Now in its 28 edition, the festival is organised by Kidjo and the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. The four-time Grammy winner, who has been highly active during the COVID-19 pandemic, recently released her latest album Mother Nature last month.