Africa Now! Festival

Apollo Comedy Club: Africa Now!

Date: March 4, 2022
Location: Soundstage at the Apollo
Tickets: $25 (plus $10 food or drink minimum)

Presented in partnership with Bob Sumner (producer of Def Comedy Jam, creator of LaffMobb on Aspire), the Apollo Comedy Club celebrates these rich comedic roots with an evening of comedy on the Apollo’s intimate Soundstage to serve as a late night hotspot featuring the best emerging talent in comedy today. Don’t miss the Africa Now! edition of Apollo Comedy Club featuring Akintunde, Alfred Kainga, Marcela Onyango, and Yedoye Travis with music by DJ Qool Marv.

Apollo Music Café: Africa Now! - Nkumu Katalay and DJ YB

Date: March 5, 2022
Location: Soundstage at the Apollo
Tickets: $25 (plus $10 food or drink minimum)

Born in the capital city Kinshasa of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nkumu Kataly blends the music of his homeland with contemporary sounds from the Americas to create a rhythmic Afrobeat unlike any other. He is joined by Nigerian producer and curator DJ YB (a.k.a. “The General of Afrobeats”) in the Apollo’s Music Café for an energetic performance that will have audiences on their feet and dancing from start to finish.

Imagenation’s Cocktails and Sol Cinema: Queen of Glory

Date: March 10, 2022
Location: Soundstage at the Apollo
Tickets: $25 (includes one free cocktail)

Writer, first-time feature director, and star Nana Mensah (Netflix’s The Chair and NBC’s New Amsterdam) provides a rare glimpse into New York’s Ghanaian-American community in this charming slice-of-life dramedy. Having been hailed as “a witty, compassionate ode to immigrant daughters in the Bronx” (The Hollywood Reporter) when it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021, this winning indie film from an original voice on the cinematic scene comes to the Apollo’s intimate Soundstage.

Live Wire from the Archives: Bridging the Diaspora

Date: March 15, 2022
Location: Apollo Digital Stage
Tickets: Free w/ RSVP

From Babatundi Olatunji and Hugh Masekela to Miriam Makeba, Salif Keita, and Burna Boy, the Apollo stage has provided a nexus between the African and the African American performance experience. For this Live Wire event, Juilliard ethnomusicologist Fredara Hadley engages with contemporary artists about some of the legendary artists and historic performances on the Apollo stage, and the significance of Africa Now! in honoring the music of the African diaspora in the contemporary world.

Somi and Friends: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba

Date: March 19, 2022
Location: Apollo’s Historic Theater
Tickets: Tickets start at $25

Having received rave reviews from her recent new musical Dreaming Zenzile, the Grammy-nominated international music sensation comes to the Apollo to perform music from this lauded work as well as her companion album Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba. She is joined by a roster of special guests in this festive celebration of the late South African singer-songwriter and civil rights activist Miriam Makeba and her invaluable musical contributions and messages of social justice.

Leadership support for Somi and Friends: The Reimagination of Mariam Makeba is provided by the HBO Fund for Theater.