Sierra Leone’s only female Reggae Rapper, Khady Black was part of the musical concert that marked the commemoration of the 200^th Anniversary of the abolition of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade at the City of Hall in England.

 

Khady Black performed together with dozens of musical artists from across Africa, and according to reports monitored by Awareness Times, her performance was rated as “highly impressive” by the thousands of fans of mixed races who formed the audience.

 

Hosted on and around the Queen's Gardens, the festival was the culmination of Hull's year-long Wilberforce 2007 commemorations.

The event celebrated African and Caribbean culture and featured several international and national artists including Gambian-born poet Seiko Susso and Bristol-based roots musician Netsayi.

Other artists also on stage were the Congolese band Kasai Masai together with two female dancers. The band’s name is taken from the river Kasai which runs from Angola to Congo and the African nomadic tribe, Masai.

There were also performances by English school pupils including a Steel band from Holy Trinity House School and The Sparks African Dance Troupe, which is made up of pupils from Parks Primary and Holy Name Schools in England.

African drumming, story-telling, workshops and Capoeira performances ran throughout the day.

The name of the festival was derived from the West African word ‘Sankofa’ meaning to learn from the past in order to move forward. ‘Sunsplash’ was taken from the renowned reggae festival, Reggae Sunsplash, which started in Jamaica.