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Africa Express is a collective of African and Western musicians aiming to bring African Music into the mainstream under the creative direction of Damon Albarn.

Origins
Africa Express was first formed as a reaction to the lack of African musicians to feature in the 2005 Live 8 Concerts. Co-founders Damon Albarn, Stephen Budd and Ian Birrell felt that the underrepresentation of African artists at the benefit concert reinforced negative stereotypes of Africa as a victimized continent. As a result the project aims to create and foster artistic links and collaborations between African and western artists, in order to cultivate respect for the continent rather than pity.

Bamako
In September 2006 Damon Albarn lead a group of musicians and DJs on a musical mission to Bamako. The trip included a ‘jam’ session in Salif Keita’s private club on the first night in Africa, involving Keita, Damon Albarn, Amadou and Mariam, Norman Cook, Kano, Scratch, Martha Wainwright and others.

Brixton
On the 13th of December 2006 Africa Express hosted a private show at Jamm in Brixton. The show involved 30 artists including Rachid Taha, Amadou & Mariam Souad Massi ,The Good, The Bad and the Queen, Gang of Four, Martina Topley-Bird, Jamie T, and Kano. The audience were mainly musicians and 100 fans who won tickets in an Internet lottery.

Glastonbury
On Saturday June 23rd 2007 Africa Express performed at The Park Stage at Glastonbury Festival. The collective played for over 5 hours, stopping just after midnight. Amadou and Mariam kicked things off, then Toumani Diabate, Damon Albarn, Baaba Maal, Norman Cook, Tony Allen, Hard-Fi, Billy Bragg, Tinariwen, Kano, Rachid Taha, The Magic Numbers joined them, proving that the barriers that separate African and western music exist only in the imagination. Baaba Maal summed it up saying “the wonderful thing about tonight is that there was as much joy, as much surprise, as much discovery behind the stage as there was in front of it.”

Kinshasa
In February 2008 Africa Express took twenty musicians to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo for five days. During this time the Africa Express visitors meet and played with Staff Benda Bilili, and other Congolese stars such as Konono No. 1, Kasai All-stars, Jupiter and his Okwess Band.

Liverpool
Next in March 2008 Africa Express played at the Olympia in Liverpool. The seven-hour concert involved 130 artists from Europe and Africa. Notable performances included a collaboration between Baaba Maal and Franz Ferdinand on the song ‘Take Me Out’, accompanied by rapper Kano and Malian ngoni maestro Bassekou Kouyate.

Lagos
In October 2008 came a trip to Lagos in Nigeria, with a show at the Shrine, legendary home of the Fela Kuti clan. Over thirty musicians including Baaba Maal, Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Amadou Bagayoko, V V Brown, John McClure from Reverend & The Makers, Drew McConnell from Babyshambles, Tony Allen, Bashy, Faada Freddy from Daara J, The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Romeo Stodart joined local hero Femi Kuti.

Koko
This was followed within days by a major show at Koko in Camden, broadcast live and direct by both BBC TV and BBC Radio 1; a reflection of the increasing interest and participation from the UK’s mainstream rock and music media in African music. The day after the Koko show, many of the African artists who appeared at Koko, including Baaba Maal, Amadou & Mariam, Bassekou Kouyate, Oumou Sangare, Toumani Diabate, Muntu Valdo, Rachid Taha and Daara J did a special show at the Barbican in London.

Puma
The DIY voluntary spirit that had empowered the organisation since the beginning was still strong, but with time and energy at a premium for the individuals involved, Africa Express felt an increasing need for financial and logistical partners. In 2009 a special relationship was formed with Puma Creative, the arts and culture arm of Puma. . This enabled Africa Express to release its first products; a T-shirt and a CD/DVD compilation of great contemporary African music selected by Africa Express supporters including Bjork, Flea, Massive Attack, Franz Ferdinand and Elvis Costello.

Paris
This release coincided with Africa Express’ first major concert in mainland Europe, in front of the Hotel de Ville in central Paris in August 2009. Another host of international and African artists played before a crowd of 18,000 people. . The concert featured sets by Oumou Sangare, Konono No 1 and Tony Allen with the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. These alongside artists who were new to the African music experience, like The Kooks, Corinne Bailey Rae or Roots Manuva.

Ethiopia
In early February 2010 Africa Express visited Ethiopia, the group that landed in Addis Ababa in early February 2010 included Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand, Flea, Joan as Policewoman and Rachel Unthank among others. Here they were met by the likes of Ethio-color, saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya and Qoataan Qoat singers from Harar.

Artists
Past performers and collaborators include: Adrian Sherwood, The Aliens, Amadou & Mariam, Amy Sacko, Audio Bullys, Ayo, Baaba Maal, Ba Cissoko, Baloji, Bashy, Bassekou Kouyate, Billy Bragg, Bjork, Bullion, Cate Le Bon, Catherine Ringer, Cheick Tidiane Sec, Corinne Bailey Rae, Daara J, Damon Albarn, De La Soul, Diabel Cissokho, Dizzy Mandkeju, Don Letts, Ebony Bones, Einar örn Benediktsson, Elvis Costello, Eslam Jawaad, Ethiocolor, Fatboy Slim, Femi Kuti, Flea, Franz Ferdinand, Gang of Four, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, The Good The Bad The Queen, Gruff Rhys, Hard-Fi, Hindi Zarah, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Jamie T, Joan As Policewoman, Johnny Marr, Josh Klinghoffer, Juldeh Camara, Justin Adams, Kano, Kasai Allstars, Kasse Maddy, Keziah Jones, K'naan, Konono No 1, The Kooks, Kouyate & Neerman, The Magic Numbers, Mamani Keita, Mark Ronson, Martha Wainwright, Martina Topley-Bird, Massive Attack, Mathieu Chedid, Mehdi Haddab, Modeste, Mo DJ, Moriba Koita, Ms Dynamite, Muntu Valdo, Natty, Nitin Sawhney, Okwess International, Oumou Sangare, Patrick Wolf, Paul Weller, Rachel Unthank, Rachid Taha, Radioclit, Remi Nicole, Reverend & The Makers, Rise Kagona, Rokia Traore, Roots Manuva, Rosie Wilson, Salif Keita, Scratch, Shlomo, Shy FX, Sister Fa, Sola Akingbola, Souad Massi, The Specials, Speech Debelle, Staff Benda Bilili, Sway, Terri Walker, Theophilius London, Tinariwen, Tony Allen, Toumani Diabate, Ty, Turin Brakes, U-Cef, Vieux Farka Toure, VV Brown, Wasis Diop, Wuru Samba, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.