Daara J

I will be doing more blogging over these next couplr of weeks I hope, and this one is long overdue. This is all about a friday trip to Harbourfront a few weeks ago, and the Senegal group; Daara J. They were captivating! What a stage presence! They got the whole audience up and jumping and dancing, (well, some people stayed sitting, but whatevea) and they were jumping around the stage like they had fire ants in their pants! They had the aisles full, and the rows full there were so many people there.

Not only that, but their music is something everyone can be happy dancing to; they sing about religion, human well-being, "Esperanza", Exodus, and just havin' fun!

Here's a bit more about them, and their concert was GREAT!

"Goree, an island just off the coast of Senegal, was the last bit of the motherland seen by the millions of Africans caught in the slave trade en route to America. What the proprietors of this grossly profitable injustice could never have imagined was the tremendous socio-political impact those slaves would have on the country they were forced to call home. Ancient rhythms, rebellion, and the ability to express pain, suffering, and triumph through art would later manifest in what we have come to know as hip hop.

During Senegal’s 2000 presidential election, Daara J was hired to edit speeches and promote the anti-corruption political campaigns. Successfully bringing new voters to the polls, they were able to share in the defeat of a corrupt regime."