Made In Mozambique: Celebrating The Azgo Festival (Mozambique’s Music And Art Festival)

Aug 27, 2024 10:00AM ● By Okechukwu Nzeribe

The Azgo Festival, Mozambique’s most prestigious annual music festival, is targeted at promoting the rich cultural history of the country through music, fine arts, and cinema. Originating from Maputo, the famed port city and capital of Mozambique, the event draws its name from the slang - AZGO which means “Let's Go”.

Founded by Paulo Chibanga, a multi-talented producer, architect, cultural enthusiast, and founding member of the famous Mozambican band 340ml, the Azgo festival is an event that is leveraged as a platform to elevate Mozambican artists as well as other international artists, promotes its Mozambican culture, economy, and provide a rich festival experience through various forms of activities such as craft fairs, films, several art exhibitions, and the display of various Mozambican cuisine.

As a socio-cultural project, the Azgo festival has become a launching pad for Mozambican music. Offering local artists the opportunity to share the stage with international artists, the event provides an opportunity for local artists to not only showcase their talent but to be afforded an internationally recognized platform to launch their careers onto the global stage.

The foundation of the Azgo festival is music.

From jazz to samba, soul, hip-hop, afro-beat, and reggae among many others. The festival provides a showcasing of diverse genres ranging from the traditional xigubo and marrabenta rhythms to other contemporary sounds.

Local artists who are often a great part of the attraction, provide a rich blend of traditional sounds, weaving cultural tales of Mozambican history with traditional instruments like the marimba, mbira, timbila (wooden xylophone), and the xitende. A blend of these instruments with modern-day sounds creates a powerful, unforgettable, rich, and rewarding experience of the country’s culture and musical heritage for its listeners.

This year’s edition which coincides with “Africa Day” will be held at the Cultural and Multidisciplinary Center of Cumbeza. which is located in the Municipality of Marracuene, in the Cumbeza neighborhood. The event will be graced by exciting music stars such as the amapiano legend De Mthuda (South Africa), African Bholodja (Eswatini) and Cheny wa Gune (Mozambique), DJs Dilson and DJ V (Mozambique), Humberto Luís & Twenty

Fingers, Nelson and Tânia Chongo, Monique Seka (Ivory Coast), and Wazimbo (Mozambique) among many others.

Image: Instagram | Azgo Festival

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Past editions have attracted international artists such as South African jazz maestro Hugh Masekela, Hip-Hop Contemporary artist K.O, African, and Kizomba star from Angola Eduardo Paim, Contemporary and Hip-Hop artist Dehermes, Brazilian Samba icon Eliza Soares, as well as several others have all left the audience mesmerized by their performances.

Beyond music, this festival offered other side attractions such as a Business Fair tagged “The Azgo Business Expo” which offered professionals and companies an opportunity for business-to-business meetings (B2B) which are targeted at creating exposure for brands to generate markets for their products and services, deepen engagements and foster partnerships in the creative industry.

The festival also showcased the Azgo Lifestyle fashion show to promote fashion makers in Mozambique.

The jury was comprised of notable fashion icons like António Macheve Junior (Founder and Director of the XIPIXI brand), King Levi (Founder and Director of Fancy Fashion Week and KLD Agency, and Menswear Blogger), King Levi (Founder and Director of Fancy Fashion Week and KLD Agency, and Menswear Blogger), and Dilayla Romeo (Founder of the Noki brand and photographer) as well as others who offered a rewarding experience for fashion lovers in Mozambique.

Conferences, debates, and workshops all formed part of this year's Azgo festival, transforming the event into a melting pot of exchange of ideas and celebration of life and culture.

As the festival continues to grow since its formation in 2011, it remains a veritable platform where the history and culture of the country come alive while offering many the opportunity to experience the beauty of Africa.