Winner of the 2009 British MOBO award for ‘Best African Act’, Nigerian-born hip hop and soul singer and songwriter, Nneka throws a bit of Bob Marley, a measure of Nina Simone and a lick of Eryka Badu into her soulful recipe. Holding it all together is the emotional focus of her beautiful voice, located in a place somewhere between yearning and rage. She’s opened massive shows for Jamaican dancehall bad-boy Sean Paul and even bigger crowds with global hiphop crossover stars Gnarls Barkley. Add Lenny Kravitz and Lauryn Hill to that list and you get an idea of the sheer reach of the Nneka sound. It’s a sound that places her right at the centre of the new revolution in African contemporary music today.
Following Nneka’ performance, DJ Kingsley who also hails from Nigeria, will hit the decks to keep the tempo up and bodies moving. The concert pays tribute to the life and campaigns of Nigerian environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and will be preceded by a short 8 minute film about his campaign to draw attention to the environmental exploitation of his homeland. Amnesty international and Milieu Defensie (Friends of the Earth) will have a photo exhibition for viewing and a coalition of 8 NGOs will be on hand to answer questions.
