Sharjah celebrates opening of Africa Hall with concerts including Youssou N’Dour and Mulatu Astatke

A range of African artists will perform in the emirate to honour the new multipurpose venue

Youssou N’Dour will perform in Sharjah in September Photo by Youri Lenquette

Sharjah has rebuilt its historic Africa Hall and to celebrate the venue is set host performances by some of the finest artists from the continent including Youssou N'Dour for the opening show.

The acclaimed Senegalese singer will take the stage on September 25 and 26 with Zied Zourai and Super Etoile de Darkar supporting him on the respective nights.

The veteran Malian singer Oumo Sangare will bring her mix of native Wassoulou folk and blues to Africa Hall on September 27 with Ethiopian jazz master Mulatu Astatke performing the following evening.

The following night will have a screening of Opera of the World directed by respected Malian writer and scholar Manthia Diawara.

On September 29, Lisa Simone, the Grammy Award nominee, and daughter of jazz great Nina Simone, will take the stage. She will perform her brand of introspective soul in addition to tracks from her latest album My World.

The festival concludes on September 30 with DJ and producer Peter Adjaye. His skills as a musicologist should guarantee an evocative set full of thrills and surprises.

Africa Hall has been rebuilt on the same site as its original building which was inaugurated in 1976 and subsequently demolished in 2015. It is named after the building's first major event, the Arab-African Symposium which began on December 14, 1976.

Details of ticket prices will be announced soon. For more information go to www.sharjahart.org

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