African Caribbean Society presents AfroGene

We’ve had Malaysian Society’s Festival of Diversity and Asian Society’s Elements, now it’s African Caribbean Society’s turn with AfroGene. ACS is in its infancy and clearly looks up to these longer running societies, hoping that one day their event too will be an established part of the Cardiff University social calendar. Given the quality of this first performance, it certainly looks set to run for many years to come.

One of the best things about AfroGene was the diversity of performances, not just song and dance, but drama, comedy, poetry and fashion too, all delivered with soul, style and lots of skill. After a warm welcome from the ACS President Chez Mundeta and Vice President Tobi Otudeko, the evening properly began with Silvia Anie-Akwetey, Jac Jones and Danny Kasto performing Jailer. The song gave me goosebumps thanks both to the ethereal beauty of Silvia’s voice and the song’s political message about justice and equality. Jac, who provided the guitar for this and three other numbers, was a real revelation for me, infusing his playing with Caribbean rhythms. I loved the variety of songs, from Clinton’s modern, urban This Girl to Kiki’s spiritual Freedom Reigns, all performed with real talent.  

As for the dancing, Funky Ass Dancers can always be relied on for a strong guest performance (their third in eight days), but what really impressed me was the performances by ACS members themselves, both the group dance montage and Oyinda’s Spotlight Dance.  I was equally jealous of and awed by the way the dancers could make their bodies move. The fashion shows (one in each act), reflect the colour and energy of the dancing in the clothes from the Rhian Jack Summer 2012 collection, designed by Sotonye Walson-Jack, and some perilously high shoes.

At the heart of the performance was a short play, Maame Agbeke Comes to Visit, which centres on the culture shock caused when a UK-based family get a visit from a Nigerian aunt. Silvia is clearly one talented woman as not only can she sing, but she also wrote the play. While very funny and well-acted, the play served to raise important issues about identity and belonging in relation to immigrants and their children. The final scene where Sandra (Maame Agbeke’s sister-in-law from the Virgin Islands who she calls a ‘fake African’) explains the difference and similarities between African and Caribbean cultures did feel slightly didactic, but I still appreciated the new insights it gave me into cultures I don’t know enough about. The cast also deserves praise for bringing so much personality to their performances, particularly Daima Aromolaran in the title role and Raymond Lashwayo as her nephew and wannabe-rapper Ayo.

On either side of the play were comedy and poetry, both welcome additions to the more common combination of dance, drama, song and fashion. It seemed to me that local comedian Leroy Brito was trying too hard to be controversial and I personally didn’t find him as funny as he found himself, but he was certainly ticking the right boxes for many people in the audience. It was also good to see someone from Bute Town talking about the experience of people here in Cardiff, something which many audience members could either relate to or learn from. Banwo the Poet, on the other hand, was another highlight of the show for me. His performance of Signs of the Times was mesmerising, both lyrically dextrous and thought-provoking, juxtaposing wealth and poverty, crime and religion, and questioning modern values (find him on Facebook for videos of more poems). The whole evening was rounded off with some delicious home cooked chicken and rice, showing off yet another aspect of African and Caribbean culture.

If I could give ACS one piece of advice for next year (as I am certain that AfroGene will become a permanent fixture): give the show a more spectacular ending. While I enjoyed the fashion show, something more energetic and exciting, like the ACS dance montage, would have seemed a more fitting culmination of the festivities. This is just nit-picking an otherwise incredible show, full of passion and spirit, which demonstrated what a wealth of culture ACS has to offer. Bring on next year’s AfroGene! 

Remember you can find the African Caribbean Society on Facebook and Twitter @CaridffACS