With rhythms from Africa, Europe and America, the Cervantino closes

Daniel Lopez Aguilar

Sent

La Jornada Newspaper
Monday, October 27, 2025, p. 23

Guanajuato, Gto., The rhythms of Africa, Europe and America were heard between the centuries-old walls of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas. This Sunday night, the monument received Africa Express, a group that closed the 53rd edition of the International Cervantino Festival (FIC), held from October 10 to 26 in this capital.

More than 50 musicians from Mexico, the United Kingdom, Mali, Uganda, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, the United States, France, Argentina, Algeria and Ghana performed part of their second album, Bahidorarecorded a year ago.

The performance began at 8 p.m. and lasted three, concluding in a massive way the 17 days of intense cultural activity in this capital.

Thousands of spectators experienced each piece with intensity: some applauded standing, others attentively followed the little-known instruments, allowing themselves to be enveloped by the mix of sounds and accents.

The younger ones could not contain their feelings. “This is bullshit!” exclaimed a group of university students. “A contagious task,” responded another, while they held their cell phones with the flashlight on, waving them like fireflies in front of the light on the building’s façade.

The percussion solos responded to riffs of guitar, and the African voices were combined with European choirs and lines of hip hop, reggae, cumbia and ska, creating moments of complicity that captured attention.

In the middle of that whirlwind of sound, Eme MalaFe and Son Rompe Pera appeared, making the audience jump with their hypnotic marimba. The fusion of traditional rhythms with electronic bases generated one of the most explosive moments of the night.

Another exciting moment came with Emmanuel meme del Real, member of Café Tacvba, who offered an acoustic and more tropical version of Are. His performance unleashed choruses from the audience and caused more than one to dance without reservation. Along with The Witch of Texcoco, meme he also sang I hope it rains coffeea piece that united artists and the public in a collective song full of nostalgia and joy.

Days before the concert, The Day He spoke with some of the Africa Express musicians at an alternate location at the University of Guanajuato, where they were rehearsing. The Witch of Texcoco explained her role in the collective:

“I play the adungu, an instrument from southern Uganda, and I also sing. Being part of a group with so many musicians is a beautiful challenge; there is no director or strict scores, it’s about finding ourselves in the music and agreeing at the right moments.”

M.anifest, a rapper from Ghana, highlighted the group’s diversity of influences: “No one can fully anticipate what will happen at each performance. It is a unique moment. I would bet my last peso that Guanajuato residents, tourists and other visitors have never seen anything like it. This concert will remain in their memory.”

Vincent Neff, guitarist and vocalist from Northern Ireland, stressed: “I come from a country with a strong musical identity, but here everything is combined. Seeing colleagues from London and Uganda playing together allows you to open your mind and appreciate the diversity of sound. The experience demands respect and curiosity, and reflects unity and tolerance in a turbulent world.”

The roar of the audience reached its peak when Damon Albarn, creator of Africa Express and leader of Blur and Gorillaz, sat at the piano and joined Luisa Almaguer and other artists to perform Loneliness. His presence unleashed a wave of applause and a collective energy that ran through the entire Alhóndiga esplanade.

The arrival of the group to Mexico marked a unique chapter in the history of the FIC, with the United Kingdom and Veracruz as guests of honor, and closed this edition, with an extraordinary fusion of cultures and sounds.