Missionites have the opportunity to celebrate Black History Month with a special event planned for Saturday, Feb. 29 at The Railyard.
The event is being put on by the Kara Kata Afrobeat Society of Canada, who recently relocated its home base to Mission. The group has been serving the Lower Mainland through music, food and outreach for more than a decade.
In cooperation with Railyard Society for Performing Arts and the Mission Arts Council, the society is inviting the public to an evening of Afrobeat music, African storytelling and Nigerian Cuisine in celebration of Black History Month.
The Kara-Kata Afrobeat Band will be performing during the event.
Afrobeat music was originally created by musician and activist, Fela Kuti. Afrobeat can be called world but the group blends effortlessly with original Afrobeat, Afrobeat Reggae, Soca, Calypso, Afrobeat gospel, Modern funk, Jazz, Blues, Salsa, Psychedelic Rock and Soul.
“Our musical spice is exotic and inspiring. We celebrate and share the beauty of African/Canadian multiculturalism with dance, music, fashion through our live performances. The music is of African origin, but we are 90 per cent of different backgrounds and 10 per cent African. We are truly the world beat,” it stated in a written release.
The Kara-Kata Afrobeat Society of Canada is a fully inclusive group of musicians and artistic dancers and performers. It is a nonprofit society registered provincially since 2017.
The event takes place on Feb. 29 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Railyard, 33121 N. Railway Ave. in Mission. Tickets are $20 and are available at karakataafrobeatsociety.com/events.
February, Black History Month, honours the legacy of Black Canadians, past and present. The 2020 theme for Black History Month is Canadians of African Descent: Going forward, guided by the past.