A big thank you to everyone who visited our stand and especially to the band BANTU, who wowed the festival attended by more than 20,000 people with an energetic mixture of afrofunk, hip-hop and afrobeat.
The Nigerian group was invited as part of the Music In Africa project, which the foundation also presented during the Federal President’s festival at his official residence, the Bellevue Palace in Berlin. The Music In Africa online platform initiated by Siemens Stiftung and the Goethe-Institut aims to put African music on the map, promote collaboration among artists on the African continent and help encourage a lively civil society.
“Music is the weapon of the future. It can achieve real change,” said Adé Bantu, the German-Nigerian founder of the band BANTU, whose music promotes openness and tolerance in many ways. “With our music, we want to look at what’s happening in the world and talk about social problems – whether it’s xenophobia in Germany or religious extremism in Africa.” Music In Africa aims to make voices like this heard. “Music has the ability to move people’s deepest emotions and often makes an important contribution to social togetherness,” added Dr. Nathalie von Siemens, Managing Director of Siemens Stiftung.
A live recording of the concert will be available on the website next week.