SEATTLE – As February honors and celebrates both Reggae Month and Black History Month, International recording artist Jemere Morgan whose roots are steeped in both his reggae heritage and his African-American birth, paired the latter by delivering a memorable experience at Kijiji Night at the Seattle Art Museum.
Black History and Reggae Month merged as one on legendary Bob Marley’s 75th posthumous birthday February 6th, as Jemere Morgan captivated patrons at the fifth annual Kijiji Night with music from both his billboard top charting albums.
From “Troddin, Good Time and Favorite Song” (Self-Confidence album), to “Try Jah Love, Good Old Roots and Shine With Me” (Transition album), Jemere had the crowd swaying to the beats and singing in unison under the Seattle Art Museum roof.
“I had a great time performing at Kijiji night in Seattle. I found out that Kijiji means Village in Swahili which is a reference to staying together and believing in unity to get things done. I’m a firm believer in staying together as a family being the eldest of 14 siblings, so supporting an event like this during Black History month is an honor for me. I Also loved the representation of African Culture at the show because it shined a light on History of the beat of Africa which is implemented in all music, especially Reggae music. Bless Up Simon and One Vibe Africa and I encourage all massive people to support this movement.” – Jemere Morgan
A yearly anticipated event by One Vibe Africa, Kijiji Night is the first event in the Black History Month calendar in Seattle.
Hosted by multifaceted artist and community organizer King Khazm, the evening was headlined by Jemere Morgan, and also featured Kama (from group Kalamashaka based in the Dandora ghettos of Nairobi, Kenya), Alana Belle (singer, songwriter, and filmmaker from Seattle,), The Ancient Robotz (collective group of talented musicians from around the world), Etienne Cakpo (originally from Benin, Etienne is the Artistic Director and lead choreographer/dancer of Gansango and Nje (renowned radio host originally from Mombasa, Kenya).
The event also presented an exclusive exhibit of original paintings by renowned Nairobi based Iddi Bashir, a fashion show portion curated by KOELES, and a gastronomic experience of authentic street Kenyan food from sambusa to bajia.
“Kijiji means village in Swahili, so the main purpose of the event is to bring the African and African American communities to celebrate our culture and black history month.” explained event organizer Simon Okelo. “I have organized Kijiji Night for the last fives years to show that an organization led by an African can also collaborate with a major institution like Seattle Art Museum and produce a historic program consistently. I use the event to mentor young people from our community to learn how to produce events and mobilize people.” he further added.
