29.09.2012. On the occasion of its sixth anniversary, Friends of Ruanda e.V. invited to a colorful Africa festival in Adelberg in the Zachersmühle. This was a continuation of the founding meeting of the association, which took place in the Zachersmühle. Board member Katrin Liebler reports.
The 40 members agreed that it should be something special and appropriate to the rapid development of the association with its various projects. So the sleeves were rolled up and the combined forces of members and many volunteers plunged into the preparations. At short notice the band “Shaved Fish” and the drum group “Enyo Kéle” could be won to perform without fee. Furthermore, the band “AfroBeat Coockers” from Paris was hired as a special event.
On a cloudy but dry Saturday afternoon, many members and hard-working helpers arrived to set up the extensive equipment for the bands and the various booths on the picturesque Zachersmühlen grounds. Especially successful were the self-painted banners with African motifs, which a few members had designed in time-consuming work. At the booths, visitors could inform themselves about the ongoing projects in Rwanda and buy African handicrafts.
At 6 pm “Enyo Kéle” opened the official part of the evening with his drum and dance group. The evening continued with greetings from the mayor of Bad Boll, the Rwandan ambassador, the president of the Rwandan association in Germany and the board of one of the partner organizations from Rwanda. Visual impressions could be gained by the audience through the presentation of four weltwärts volunteers. Afterwards, the board members took the audience on a journey through time to the history of the association, and then concluded the official part with another drum performance by “Enyo Kéle”.
In the background the Zachersmühlenteam provided for the well-being of the guests and the many helpers. Thus one could strengthen oneself at a buffet with African delicacies and enjoy the musical program at the bar. Rocking it went on with the band “Shaved Fish” from the Voralb area. With their classics from the rock scene, the vocal duo consisting of the likeable singer Manuela and the newly acquired singer Marco created an excellent atmosphere from the first to the last minute. Not only the first-class performance of the music was convincing, but also the selection of the pieces. Throughout, the band had true rock treasures in their repertoire. Accordingly, not only younger people felt addressed – especially the friends of the 70s and 80s got their money’s worth!
The highlight for the numerous Africa fans was the singer and percussionist ChristoFolly with his band “AfroBeat Coockers” from Paris. ChristoFolly picks up rhythms from his West African homeland Togo and is inspired by musical greats like Fela Kuti, Manu Dibango, Salif Kita, James Brown, Youssou`n’ Dour and Bob Marley. With his djembes and other instruments, he skillfully translates these influences into groovy musical formations, and these heated up the audience. With the hot music and open fire, it was easy to counter the cool autumn weather.
Around midnight, a somewhat chilly, but atmospheric anniversary celebration of Friends of Rwanda e.V. came to an end. Our special thanks go to all hard-working helpers and of course to the guests and the audience who supported this event and thus contributed to its success.
