Bassline Fest – The official Nelson Mandela Centenary Concert

BASSLINE FEST officially announces two of the headline artists for the weekend of 26th and 27th May will be none other than African greats Salif Keita from Mali, and pop phenomenon Yemi Alade from Nigeria.

With more artists being announced regularly, the festival’s line up is growing from strength to strength and has now officially announced artists from afield Brazil, France, Japan, Cape Verde, Guinea, Mozambique, Reunion Island, Mali, Nigeria and of course South Africa.

The artists are all part of the celebration that unites and pays homage to our continent and in particular this year, to the legacy that is Nelson Mandela.
The two artists that have been selected as ambassadors from Africa to celebrate Madiba’s legacy are Yemi Alade and Salif Keita, who collectively will perform in an exclusively crafted performance to pay tribute through not only their own songs, but also a duet and a further composition entitled “Africa’s Tribute To Mandela”.

The BASSLINE FEST will be the only opportunity for one to witness the duet and add even more exclusivity to this already rare world-class line up.

Salif Keita is one of the continent’s most beloved Afro-pop artists. Having been ostracised for his albinism as a younger adult, he immersed himself in music before moving to Paris where he has resided since 1984, honing his craft and becoming one of the most prolific stars from Africa. Known as the ‘golden voice’, Salif has released over 20 albums with some of the biggest record labels in the world. He has toured the globe extensively and known as one of West Africa’s finest composers and singer. BASSLINE FEST is honoured to be able to add him to the line-up in 2018.

Yemi Alade is one of the younger pop stars from Nigeria that is currently making huge waves across not only Africa, but in parts of Europe too. As a winner of the talent show, Peak Talent in 2009 she subsequently released the smash hit Johnny, which saw her becoming a house-hold name almost instantly. She has followed it up with similar styles of dance pop combined with her signature humorous lyrics. Despite her massive stardom, Yemi has released three albums, and has shared stages with acts such as Mary J Blige, Wizkid, M.I., Waje and many others. We are excited to see her on South African soil.

The other confirmed artists for BASSLINE FEST, all previously announced, are as follows:
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – South Africa
Dub Inc – France
Flavia Coelho – Brazil
Nakhane – South Africa
Nathalie Natiemba – Reunion Island
Ghorwane – Mozambique
Femi Koya – Nigeria
Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabusa – South Africa
Oki Dub Ainu Band – Japan
Sekou Kouyate – Guinea
Azah – South Africa
Elida Almeida – Cape Verde
More artists are being booked for the festival on a regular basis.

Now in its 14th year as the only Johannesburg-based Festival that celebrates African unity and diversity, BASSLINE FEST will be held over 2 full days for guests to enjoy music platforms and great food as well as a Nelson Mandela day tour “Footsteps of Mandela”. Dialogue will also be held to promote social cohesion across the continent.

The BASSLINE FEST hashtag, #Bethelegacy is inspired by a partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation as we join the Nelson Mandela centenary celebrations.
Bassline will be working closely with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to promote Madiba’s legacy, through dialogue and Music programming. BASSLINE FEST is the Foundations official Africa month celebratory event.

The music and food festivities kick off on Saturday the 26th May from 3pm to 11pm with two stages, both featuring top tier artists from not only the African continent, but from across the globe. The Sunday fest times are 12pm to 7pm.

SABC2 will broadcast live from the Fest between 8pm and 11pm, reaching a sizeable television audience.

Tickets can be booked at www.ticketpros.co.za now for R400 per day.

BASSLINE FEST has also put together travel packages for guest coming from afar and a Footsteps of Mandela tour.
For more information contact info@hambaumhla.com or 061 402 8406.

BASSLINE FEST is presented by the Department Of Arts & Culture, in association with Kaya FM and TRACE Africa.
Additional partners include The Nelson Mandela Foundation, SABC2, SAA, Constitution Hill, SAB Inbev, Tsogo Sun, IFAS, more to be announced in due course.