Although this year’s Afrofest wouldn’t turn out to be the big celebration festival for African football as anticipated by organizers due to the exist of Ghana, the only surviving African team in the ongoing FIFA World Cup in South Africa, all is set for an exciting event nonetheless. July 10 and 11 will see the almost magical transformation of Queen’s Park into an African village for this free annual celebration of African music and culture in downtown Toronto.

With main-stage performers The Occidental Brothers Dance Band International featuring Samba Mapangala and ‘Zimbabwe’s Rebel Woman’ Chiwoniso, along with JP Buse (Congo), French-Cameroonian singer Muna Mingole, Masaisai (Zimbabwe), Waleed Kush (Sudan), Mohamed Diaby & Manding Foli Kan Don (Guinea), Doody Le Tigre (Haiti), Kae Sun (Ghana), Nati Haile (Ethiopia), Jabulani (South Africa) and Soul Influence, Afrofest’s musical line-up is as powerful as ever.

Afrofest, presented by Music Africa, is a showcase of the richness and diversity of African culture. It is an event of song, dance and drumming, featuring world-renowned African music acts and many top rated African music groups based in Canada. With a bustling African marketplace, food and craft vendors, artistic displays, a Children’s Village, a drum stage, music workshops and organized activities for youth and children.

Headliners, The Occidental Brothers Dance Band’s high-energy soukous and Ghanaian Highlife sounds have made them favourites of music audiences and critics alike. In 2008 they joined forces with East African music legend Samba Mapangala and have been touring together since 2009. They recently started working on a CD to be released later this year.

This year, the main stage performances at Afrofest will be broadcast live on CIUT, 89.5 FM on both days of the festival. http://www.ciut.fm/