Thug Life Army

This year’s Afrofunk Festival will feature eight diverse and electrifying musical acts from Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil, and the Bay Area, all coming together to bring down the house while raising funds for Kids in Darfur, Sudan and Kenya whose lives have been devastated by war and famine.

The Afrofunk Festival sold out its debut last July to wide critical acclaim, is the first and only Afrobeat Festival in the world. Once again The Afrofunk Festival will donate proceeds to Save the Children Emergency Relief Fund.

This year the Afrofunk Festival will takes place in three cities across three nights. The line-up includes legendary Kora funk master Prince Diabate from Guinea who has been called the Jimi Hendricks of the Kora. Diabate concerts have earned him rave reviews from New York Times, LA Times and the New Yorker Magazine. Diabate has evolved into one of the most innovative West African artists. He weaves elements of funk, rock and reggae into the fabric of his music and plays a wireless electro acoustic kora - with special effects supplied from distortion pedals.

Afrobeat heavyweights Jujuba features Nojeem Lassisi from Nigeria who ranks among the world's elite talking drum players and has toured the world and appeared on numerous recording with King Sunny Ade. Jujuba delivers an infectious, danceable, and funky style of Nigerian Afrobeat and Juju music. The band combines dense rhythmical forms with articulate melodies and energetic soloing.

Sila and the Afrofunk Experience from Kenya is the headliner and producer of the festival. Sila & AFE blend traditional African rhythms, Afrobeat, Afro-Latin, reggae and funk, resulting in an upbeat, multicultural celebration that's guaranteed to keep you glued to the dance floor.

The event also features local Afrobeat favorites Aphrodesia, Albino ( Winner of the 2005 SF Music Award for "Best World Music" ), Afrobeat Down and the All Female Brazilian Funk band Goddess of Funk. This year's Afrofunk Festival theme is "Bring your dancing shoes".

THE CAUSE: KIDS OF DARFUR, SUDAN AND KENYA

UNICEF Estimates that 3.4 million persons, equivalent to almost 51% of the total pre-conflict population in the region, have been affected by the crisis in Darfur, and that number is expected to increase as one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises continues to deteriorate. Some 1.87 million of this number are currently internally displaced. Approximately 1.4 million are children under 18 years of age – while over 500,000 are children under five. Children are the hardest hit by this massive humanitarian crisis—those who survive are forced to witness this genocide day after day, unprotected. Hundreds of villages have been bombed and burned; water sources and food stocks have been destroyed, houses looted, families killed. Mosques, schools and hospitals have been burnt to the ground. And that’s only the beginning.

Save the Children Fund estimates that more than 3 million children, including 600,000 who are under five years old, continue to suffer from severe food and water shortages in East Africa, particularly in Kenya due to the region’s worst drought in 10 years.

THE 2nd ANNUAL AFROFUNK FESTIVAL

Thursday to Saturday, July 27-29, 2006

The Independent - San Francisco

July 27 to 29, 8:30PM each night

July 27th - Jujuba Plus Albino

July 28 - Prince Diabate Plus Aphrodesia

JUly 29 - Sila and the Afrofunk Experience Plus Afrobeaet Down

628 Divisadero Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94117

$15ADV/$17DOOR (Tickets go on sale soon)

Moe's Alley - Santa Cruz

July 27 to 29, 8:30PM each night

July 27 - Aphrodesia Plus Goddess of Funk

July 28 - Sila and the Afrofunk Experience Plus Jujuba

July 29th - Prince Diabate Plus Dj Jeremiah

1535 Commercial Way,

Santa Cruz,

CA 831•479•1854

$15ADV/$17DOOR (Tickets go on sale soon)

Temple Bar - Santa Monica

9:00 PM (July 29th ONLY)

1026 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, 90401

(310) 393-6611

$12 (Tickets go on sale soon)

Please visit http://afrofunk.org  for more information