More international bands have been announced for this year’s Africa Oyé festival in Liverpool’s Sefton Park. Joining the likes of Fatoumata Diawara, Patoranking and Janet Kay are bands from Mozambique, Trinidad and a Senegalese London-based collective. The festival this year takes place on 20th and 21st June in Liverpool’s Sefton Park.
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Ghorwane, the legendary band from Maputo in Mozambique, are celebrating 40 years of magical and original music since their formation back in 1983. Named after a tiny lake in the south of Mozambique – Ghorwane (“the lake that never dries out”) are a true natural force, inspiring the lives of several generations.
Peter Gabriel invited Ghorwane to play the WOMAD festival in 1990, and during that visit Real World Records offered the group the opportunity to record an album. The iconic album Majurugenta was released in 1993, opening the doors to the world stages. Tragically, just before their European tour in support of the album, the band’s most beloved member, saxophone player and composer Zeca Alage was murdered. Ghorwane regrouped and have since continued performed on stages around the world.
Known at home as ‘Os Bons Rapazes’ (“The Good Fellows”), Ghorwane have gained the respect and admiration of generations of Mozambican people, with their dynamic rhythms combining traditional musical elements with Afropop and urban styles, complemented by thought provoking social commentary in their lyrics. The emblematic band’s visit to Liverpool in 2026 is a part of their World Tour celebrating 40 years – don’t miss them on the Saturday of the two-day celebration.
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Kobo Town reinvigorate and reimagine calypso, infusing this Caribbean folk music with roots reggae, ska, and an array of contemporary sounds to create their driving, joyous calypso rock, which will no doubt get Sefton Park moving on the Sunday of Oyé.
Founded by Trinidadian-Canadian Drew Gonsalves, Kobo Town is named after the historic neighborhood in Port-of-Spain where calypso was born. The barriers and bridges built by the colonial rule that governed Trinidad have long been at the heart of Gonsalves’ much acclaimed writing. On latest album Where The Galleon Sank he sets out to raise some of that hidden past to the surface.
As on Kobo Town’s two previous outings, “Galleon” is filled with buoyant music that stimulates both body and mind; propulsive, infectious grooves are juxtaposed with incisive lyrics that expose human folly and our tendency to repeat our mistakes. Part poet, part correspondent, Gonsalves delivers compelling dispatches from events both real and imaginary – taking the intricate wordplay of Caribbean music and running it through a 21st Century filter.
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Founded by Senegalese soul singer Birame Seck and French musician Thibaut Remy, Awale Jant Band are all about connecting cultures through music. With a rich foundation in traditional Wolof storytelling from Birame’s heritage and Thibaut’s soulful sensibilities, the vibrant contemporary ensemble blend Afrobeat, Mbalax, reggae, and highlife into an electrifying fusion that bridges generations and borders.
Playing the Sunday of Oyé, Awale Jant Band draw deep inspiration from the rhythmic heritage of the Senegambian region. Their music pulses with sabar-driven grooves, hypnotic basslines, intricate guitar melodies, and call-and-response vocals that echo the communal spirit of West African performance. At the heart of their sound lies a commitment to storytelling—songs that speak of unity, resilience, love, migration, and social consciousness.
Awale Jant Band are redefining the sound of modern West African music. Rooted in tradition yet boldly innovative, with infectious audience engagement, transforming concerts into immersive cultural celebrations.
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Paul Duhaney, Artistic Director Africa Oyé said: “We’re delighted with how the line-up for Oyé 2026 is shaping up. Ghorwane are a legendary band in Mozambique and it’ll be a privilege to introduce them to a brand new audience in Liverpool this summer. Kobo Town are a band we’ve wanted to bring over for a long time and will create that real party atmosphere in Sefton Park. And Awale Jant Band are really making waves in the London scene; they’re the perfect band to open up the main stage international line-up on the Sunday.“
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Ghorwane, Kobo Town and the Awale Jant Band join artists already announced for Africa Oyé ‘26 —Fatoumata Diawara, Patoranking, Janet Kay, Fulu Miziki, Kizaba and Nana Benz Du Togo, with even more international artists still to be announced!
The UK’s biggest celebration of African and Caribbean music and culture makes its return to Liverpool on 20th and 21st June this summer, following a fallow year in 2025 due to rising infrastructure costs, changing legislation, and the increasingly difficult challenge of keeping the event free.
The organisers of the ‘jewel in Liverpool’s festival crown’ are committed to making it as affordable as possible for its audience, with low ticket prices and children under 12 receiving free entry to the event (with a paying adult).
Africa Oye / 20th & 21st June 2026, Sefton Park, Liverpool
