MOAF 2011
The biggest celebration of Mauritian culture returns this summer as Down Lane Park in north London will play host to the latest leg of the summer festival season, staging the third annual Mauritian Open Air Festival.
Last August, over seven thousand people descended on the park for a day of Mauritian music, food, drink and fun. The crowd swarmed around the main stage, in eager anticipation of the outstanding line-up of artists set to perform. Mauritian flags were flying high as far as the eye could see, and the mouth-watering aroma of fried rice and noodles pervaded the air. The accompanying fun fair was already in full swing, with the joyful screams of adults and children alike echoing around the park.
Top RnB DJ, CLK, was the acting compeer for the day and got the party started with his own inimitable collection of classic and contemporary urban tunes. With the festivities well and truly underway, those not at the main stage were queuing at the festival’s beer tent, for a chance to sample the country’s famous Phoenix beer and Green Island rum. The weather was perfect, and the queue for drinks reflected this, snaking throughout the park.
With the crowd well fed, well lubricated and in the mood for music, the first of the day’s headline acts took to the stage; Mr. Bhai Aboo appeared to a rapturous reception to perform some of his famous Sega hits. Accompanied by the Omaz Sega Band and a collection of lithe Mauritian Sega dancers, Mr. Aboo produced a vintage set, which must have transported many members of the crowd back to the beaches of Mauritius.
Despite the large number of people sampling the diverse selection of Mauritian cuisine on offer, the packed crowd assembled around the main stage next welcomed one of the most revered purveyors of Sega music, Claudio Veeraragoo. Stepping up to the keyboard in his signature panama hat, Claudio was at his charismatic best. Marching to the edge of the stage to embrace the crowd, with the sun high in the sky, and the throng of people ever expanding, the festival really was in full swing – Mauritian style!
As if the crowd needed any more warming up, they were then treated to the extraordinary talents of UK beat-boxing champion, MC Zani. Even those unfamiliar with his art could not fail to be impressed by unique skills. Sampling everything from reggae to dubstep, Zani didn’t take long to get the crowd jumping.
Nothing though could prepare this journalist for what was to follow; worshipped as gods by Mauritians the world over and appearing for a rare and highly anticipated UK performance, Blakkayo and Master Kool B of the Othentik Street Brothers came on to the stage to one of the most incredible explosions of noise they will ever encounter. One would think that the crowd could not have been any more excited after the classic performances of Mr. Aboo, Claudio et al., but suddenly all eyes from across the park were fixated on the stage.
It is difficult to overstate just how enjoyable the following ninety minutes were; men and women alike were hoisted up onto shoulders, people of all ages brought out their best Sega moves and, most importantly, OSB’s performance almost blew the roof off the stage. Consistently imploring the crowd to scream for more, in their native Creole, Blakkayo and Master Kool B played encore after encore and their fans lapped up every minute of it. Upon finally leaving the stage, Blakkayo stressed what an incredible experience it had been for the duo.
CLK, who provided an exemplary commentary and soundtrack throughout the event, then re-summoned Claudio to the stage for an encore of his own, to round off the Mauritian Open Air Festival 2010. After an epic final hour of music and, as the sun began to set, Claudio left the stage to yet another impassioned reaction from the crowd and the biggest and best Mauritian festival ever staged in the UK came to an end.
He had this to say about last year’s festival:
“It was fantastic; it’s the first time I’ve performed to all of these people…in such beautiful weather…everybody was so happy and the event was so well organised.
“I have come a very long way from Mauritius to see all of these people but it was well worth it.
“Today was wonderful; whilst I was on stage I felt like I was in Mauritius. The temperature and the atmosphere were so similar. Next year it will be even bigger – once you have touched so many people in this way, it can only get even better in the future.
“Today was a complete success and I’ve had a wonderful time.”
As the groups of people started to disperse, and the monumental cleanup operation got underway, I stopped a festival goer to ask them whether they’d enjoyed the day. Although not the most geographically astute, his summary encapsulated the day, if not the location; he said that the combination of home-cooked food, good drink, superb music, lots of dancing and a great overall atmosphere, had contributed to “the best Caribbean festival I’ve ever been to!”
Get ready for the Mauritian Open Air Festival 2011