Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

AFRICAN SHOWBOYZ

Napoleon, Joseph, Moses, Isaac and JJ Sabbah, all brothers, are the African Showboyz. The boyz were born and raised in Binaba, a small village in the north east region of Ghana, West Africa.

In Binaba, it is the way of the village for the men to marry multiple wives. The Showboyz are born from the same mother and the same father, though collectively there are 54 children from their father descent. Napoleon, the elder of the brothers, received a vision from his grandfather named Apabum Abugri during a juju practice at a very young age. He was to embark on a world journey in effort to bring recognition to the suffrage of the African people and feed his ever-growing family. Napo engaged Joseph, next of kin; his “backbone’’ and they made instruments from thigh bones and hides of village kills that had been given to the chief’s palace. Isaac was taught village dances to accompany Napoleon’s kone and Joseph’s siyak, and in 1983 the three Sabbah’s children set out on two bicycles to play for neighboring villages. In 1987, Isaac learned the bind douk and JJ and Moses were added, playing the bin bill and tonton sanson, and the African Showboyz emerged as Africa’s pentacle of conscious musicians. They began touring neighboring countries and performed before enthusiastic audiences in Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroun, Niger, Senegal, Burkina Fasso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Libya, and Cote d’ Ivoire, while collaborating with Fela Kuti, Femi Kuti, Alpha Blondy, Freddie Meiwey, Ras Kimono and Steve Wonder. It is fascinating to note that while touring in Africa, the brothers carried no documentation but simply performed for immigration officials at the borders and were permitted access.

:::Sponsored by::::
Vancouver Fringe Festival
https://www.facebook.com/VancouverFringeFestival
Vinyl Records
http://www.vinylrecords.ca/
Africa Ekassa Festival
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Africa-Ekassa-Cultural-Festival/102620923167161
Fairchild Radio 96.1 FM
http://www.am1470.com/
Banyan Books
https://www.banyen.com/
African Rhythms Radio


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