Vis a Vis is the professional meeting between Spanish cultural promoters and African musicians which Casa África has been holding in Africa for ten years. One of its objectives is to ensure a greater presence of African music on Spanish stages. That is the aim of this tour which the two winners of Vis a Vis 2019 are starting now. FRA! and Kyekyeku & Ghanalogue Highlife will visit various Spanish cities performing at the festivals which participate in the programme.

After ten years (Senegal 2010, Cape Verde 2011, Ethiopia 2012, South Africa 2013, Tanzania 2014, Dakar 2015, Abidjan 2016, Angola 2017, Equatorial Guinea 2018 and Ghana 2019) Vis a Vis has established itself as a professional event which is well known and respected in Spain and Africa. This Casa África project has become a powerful tool for the dissemination of African music in Spain.

Vis a Vis 2019 was held at venues in Accra and the eventual winners were FRA!, with their personal style, and the wonderful guitar of Kyekyeku & Ghanalogue Highlife.

KYEKYEKU & GHANALOGUE HIGHLIFE: Kyekyeku is known as “the guitar master”. A very personal artist who fuses a very traditional folk style, the so-called Ghanaian palmwine, with highlife and afrobeat. 

FRA! means mixture in Akan, and that is what this group of young people from the Nungua neighbourhood in Accra creates. With afrocentric roots, they say, they develop a personal style that goes from afropop to indie, rock and soul. They started as a covers band and are now promoting the first work which includes their own songs.

These two groups of musicians are now starting their summer tour through Spain during the month of July:

• FRA! Concerts
• 4 July. Noches de Palacio, Jaén
• 5 July. Canary Islands Heineken Jazz&Más Festival, Plaza del Pilar in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
• 12 July. MAPAS-South Atlantic Performing Arts Market, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
• 13 July MUMES, Tenerife.
• 21 July ETNOSUR, Alcalá La Real, Jaén.
• 23 July Festival de la Guitarra, Granada.
• 24 July Pirineos Sur, Huesca.
• 25 July SINSAL, Vigo 
• 26 July La Mar de Músicas, Cartagena.
• 30 July Festival Porta Ferrada, Girona.
• 31 July pending confirmation, concert in Palencia.
• Kyekyeku & Ghanalogue Highlife Concerts
• 3 July pending confirmation, concert in Ciudad Real.
• 9 July pending confirmation, concert in Avilés, Asturias.
• 5 July. Canary Islands Heineken Jazz&Más Festival, Plaza del Pilar in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
• 6 July Fuerteventura en Música, El Cotillo, Fuerteventura.
• 12 July. MAPAS-South Atlantic Performing Arts Market, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
• 13 July MUMES, Tenerife.
• 17 July El Mosquito Club, Punta Umbría, Huelva.
• 18 July. UBURAMA, University of Burgos
• 19 July ETNOSUR, Alcalá La Real, Jaén.
• 21-23 July pending confirmation, concert in Cádiz
• 24 July Pirineos Sur, Huesca.
• 25 July IMAGINA FUNK, Torres, Jaén.
• 26 July SINSAL, Vigo 
• 27 July La Mar de Músicas, Cartagena.
• 31 July. pending confirmation, concert in Palencia

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This year, we’ve also been lucky enough to be winners of the EtnoSur Award a recognition for which we are infinitely grateful and we repeat the same phrase with which we were told we’d won the award and which we extend to all festivals that are part of Vis a Vis: “Congratulations on your work - it makes our work better as a result.”

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To learn more about the winners and what the Vis a Vis project means to them: