Africa Oyé 2026

Kathryn Tickell shares highlights from Africa Oyé festival in Liverpool, the UK’s biggest celebration of African music and culture. Now in its 34th year, the festival began as a series of small gigs in Liverpool’s city centre, before moving to its current home in Sefton Park. Hosting artists from across Africa, as well as the Caribbean, South America and the wider diaspora, it is a real celebration of multiculturalism. After a year off to secure its future, the festival returned in 2026 with a customarily powerful line-up, including Mozambique's veteran social commentators Ghorwane, voodoo-charged sounds from Nana Benz du Togo, and legendary Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara.

Produced by Gabriel Francis
A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3

To listen on most smart speakers, just say: “Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Planet.”