Fête de la Musique goes global
From Paris to Abuja, Dakar, Lagos and Jo’burg, a night of African sounds and rhythms
Hannah Uguru in Paris
In 1982, the French government launched a Make Music Day to bring free and accessible music to the streets of Paris. The day is now known globally as World Music Day and celebrated on 21 June every year.
Any and everyone can perform or join the crowd. Over the years, it has grown from a French affair to one of Europe’s largest music events, with partygoers coming from as far afield as the United States and the Caribbean.
Next stop, Africa? Yes, please.
Afro‑diasporic sounds that are increasingly shaping the Paris musical scene dominated this year’s edition, pulling the vibe of Fête de la Musique further from a local celebration to a global crossroads. Music by Black Francophone acts like Aya Nakamura, MHD, Théodora, Dadju and Naza echoed across the country this year.
Fête de la Musique thrives on the energy of open streets and spontaneous celebration rather than grand stages or elaborate infrastructure. In the 11th arrondissement, widely considered the epicentre of Parisian nightlife, streets were packed with revellers swaying to Ndombolo rhythms, Afro Trap beats and the grooves of West African Afrobeats.
Black cultural exchange
Naomi Akimana, a Rwandan‑Brit, had seen clips of past Fêtes de la Musique and made a point to attend with a friend this year. On the metro, they met two American tourists, Diana and Natalie. By midnight, they were dancing with unguarded joy in a street circle.
“This is so cool,” said Diana. “We just stumbled upon this party by accident after asking Naomi where everyone on the metro was going, and we’ve been following her and her friend all night. I’m so glad we found this.”
Across the French capital, alleys, courtyards and boulevards: afrobeats, amapiano, ndombolo, afro‑trap, dancehall, French rap, and zouk shared space with the flags of Haiti, Cabo Verde and Côte d’Ivoire, and other mementos from all corners of the diaspora.
This Black cultural exchange was also happening further afield. In Nigeria, MI Abaga and Johnny Drille headlined a free Make Music Lagos concert which drew thousands. Abuja, Ebonyi, Dakar and Johannesburg also put on concerts to mark World Music Day.
Together, the concerts offered a glimpse into a future where major cultural moments are no longer centred in the West but are a tapestry woven in real time across the globe – dynamic, and decentralised, but connected.