Colourful night of world music for Japanin Solstice

'Help for Japan' is a fundraising concert taking place in the Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, on Friday night 10th June. This charity event in aid of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims presents an entertaining evening filled with cacophony of worldwide sounds. Featuring the West-African rhythms of Boye, PapaGee and Colours Afrobeat Orchestra, the very best of Latin music from Mangeira, Sadjo Sissokho-master Kora player, and soul singer Esosa. All proceeds to the Irish Red Cross. Gboyega 'Papa Gee' Akerele is a band-leader, singer/song writer, drummer/percussionist, and saxophonist, born in Nigeria in West Africa. Has over 21 long years of experience especially in West-African rhythms and gospel music. He creates a special, spiritual/therapeutic moment whenever he performs either with a group or as solo act. Boye has taught the art of African drumming/Djembe with style and passion in Belgium where he lived for over six years before relocating to Ireland in 2004. Boye' PapaGee and Colours Afrobeat Orchestra is a 12 piece multinational band. If its groovy, if its jazzy, with heavy percussion, as long as the rhythm syncopates such that moves the body, soul and mind and makes you want to move your feet, then its Colours Afrobeat Orchestra! Colours Afro-beat Orchestra was launched at the Drogheda Arts Centre in April 2005 with support and cooperation of the Arts office of the Drogheda Borough council, Drogheda Partnerships, the society of St Vincent de-Paul and the Drogheda Arts Centre. Since the band's launching 'Boye (as fondly called by his Irish friends) and the CAb Orchestra has played club/festival gigs and also performed with His 12 piece multi-national formation at the Drogheda Samba festival, main stage at Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures and Wolfe Tone Park Festival in Dublin. Mangéira is a variation on the Portuguese word for Mango tree - but not just that - it's also the word for a brass driven Dublin based band that plays the very best mix of latin music in town. With an eight strong line up of experienced musicians, Mangéira whip up their very own spicy brew of latin dance music, samba-soul from Brazil, salsa from Cuba, cumbia from Colombia, North American boogaloo (latin soul) and much much more. Mangéira have been getting the crowds dancing here in Dublin for over four years. Over the past year we've played around Ireland at various festivals including the LASC Latin American festival, Festival of World Cultures, Budweiser Global Beats Festival and Drogheda Samba Festival. Regular haunts in Dublin include the Gaiety Theatre, Club Ché, The Sugar Club and The Mezz. Hailing from Guinea Bissau, Sadjo Sissokho is from a musical family and has mastered the art of playing the Kora and Djembe from childhood. He is sure to charm his audiences with his vocal ability and riffs from the African traditional Kora. Boye Akerele says: "There have been many earthquakes in Japan, but we all sat and watch in horror when the most recent one, the magnitude 8.9 struck the east of Sendai-Japan on 11th March. The earthquake was immediately followed by a tsunami that swept across, destroyed and devastated the land in an apocalyptic scale. I watched this horrifying event amidst tears, and rather than just sitting down and watch I decided to do something however little to help make life better for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. "Our target is to raise an amount of €5,000 on the night of the event and donate it to the Irish Red Cross the largest humanitarian organisation in the world and already having a presence in Japan to help the earthquake and tsunami victims rebuild their lives. Contact Boye Akerele on (046) 949 0090, (083) 414 5517 or Tommy O'Sullivan of the Meath area of the Irish Red Cross on (086) 128 3418 or Grainne of the Fund Raising Department-Irish Red Cross, 16 Merrion Square, Dublin 2 on (01) 676 5135. Tickets are €20.