A Guide to Africa’s Detty December
My good people, we are finally in the midst of Detty December! For this month’s column, I’ve compiled a list of concerts, festivals, and fetes across Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa where you can catch some of the hottests acts and hear some of the best music, like Everyday People and Days Like This, two traveling parties making multiple stops on the continent.
But first, some context: Across many African nations – and most famously in the pop culture capitals of Lagos, Nigeria, and Accra, Ghana – December into early January is a festive season where pleasure becomes paramount (read “detty” as “Dirty” in any number of accents, recognizing the hedonistic nature of the season). The globe’s biggest Afropop stars throw their own shows back home or headline massive festivals, events of all kinds abound, beaches get packed out with buzzing groups of friends and family, and for many, schools close, work slows, and the joyful gatherings seem never ending.
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Since I was a little girl growing up on the American East Coast, my parents always prized their visits back to their native Sierra Leone in December, first taking me when I was nine years old in 2002. Whether we’re called JC (“Jus Cam” or “Just Came”), IJGB (“I Just Got Back”), or something else, many diasporans head to Africa to take advantage of holiday vacation time, reconnect with family, and escape the stressors of the hyper-capitalist West. Increasingly, though, travellers who only know Africa as a stolen homeland have made their way there too, raising the awareness of Detty December beyond locals, immigrants, and their children to a retreat for Black folks worldwide.
In furthering this phenomenon, 2019 is particularly notable. That’s when Ghana celebrated a tourism initiative called the Year of Return. In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the world-changing horror of enslaved Africans’ arrival in the English colony of Virginia, Ghanaian officials encouraged African Americans and other Black diasporans to visit. The country uncomplicated the visa approval process by offering visas on arrival (a program continued in the festive seasons since) and promoted a bustling calendar of cultural events. “We know of the extraordinary achievements and contributions they [Africans in the diaspora] made to the lives of the Americans, and it is important that this symbolic year—400 years later—we commemorate their existence and their sacrifices,” outgoing Ghanaian president President Nana Akufo-Addo said in 2018 while formally launching the Year of Return in Washington D.C.
Detty December is a sweet time of year, but I need not sugar coat it: it’s also a complicated one. Getting to these places in December is a massive expense, especially as flights into Africa jump into the thousands for roundtrips – and have only gotten more expensive since Covid dramatically slowed travel in 2020. On the ground, cities like Lagos and Accra see price gouging in December as commerce targets the influx of much wealthier visitors than most folks living in these cites. Last year, Chance the Rapper and I discussed concerns that while festivals like the one he threw in 2023 create business and employment opportunities in the area, those undertakings could be marginalizing locals, too. However, in a report for OkayAfrica, Rolling Stone contributor Nelson C.J. noted that events businesses in Lagos and Accra are seeing opportunities and revenues scale back this year amidst ongoing economic crises.
If you find yourself on the more privileged side of the economic spectrum, consider donating some of your Detty December time (or cash) to service opportunities. If you’ll be in Accra on December 27 and have made your parents proud by becoming a medical professional, you could sign up to volunteer at the Community Health Fair organized by the company behind one of the city’s premier music festivals, AfroFuture, Black Health Connect, and Distant Relatives. There, they aim to provide 1,500 community members with screenings for blood pressure issues, diabetes, sexually transmitted infections, and malaria, among other services. I also learned about young Nigerians creating their own initiatives through Eche Emole, co-founder of the African travel hub AfroPass and community Afropolitan that helped me navigate Ghana last year. Entrepreneurs Olayinka Lawal, Oladoyin Oladapo, and Ruth Lawansin’s I Just Gave Back fundraiser is supporting four distinct philanthropic organizations serving youth and education, while interpersonal violence disruptor Nneka Obiekwe is raising money towards abuse survivors. Wherever you are and however you can this holiday season, try to do a little good.
Speaking of goods, here’s a brief guide to Detty December.
Nigeria
December 15 at the Eagle Square, Abuja, Nigeria
December 22 at the Eko Atlantic, Lagos, Nigeria
Though Rema has been thrillingly mum about what to expect, his upcoming shows in Lagos and Abuja follow an explosive homecoming concert in his hometown of Benin City earlier this year
Dec.19 at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, Nigeria
Before kicking off his first world tour, Afrobeats crooner Joeboy is putting on his Lavida Experience closer to home
Dec. 20, Plot 3 & 4 Water Cooperation Road, Lagos, Nigeria
You may have caught their viral DJ sets online – now’s your chance to be a part of the traveling party yourself
Dec. 20, Harrow Park, Abuja, Nigeria
Rising rapper Odumodublvck and his music collective Antiworld Gang are throwing a festival in Nigeria’s capital
Dec. 22-25, Eko Convention Center, Lagos, Nigeria
Twenty-year old event company Flytime Promotions is powering its flagship Flytime Festival with major starpower in headliners Gunna, Olamide, Davido, and Ayra Starr
DJ Maphorisa at Island Block Party
Dec. 26, Location TBA, Lagos, Nigeria
Part party, part festival, and part of a larger Block Party series, Lagos’ Island Block Party will turn the stage over to South African dance maven DJ Maphorisa as headliner
Dec. 27 at Muri Okonola Park, Lagos, Nigeria
As a duo of brothers on drums, keyboards, and bass keeping the spirit of highlife alive, the Cavemen’s live shows are highly regarded in Lagos
Mondays at Hard Rock Cafe, Lagos, Nigeria
Boasting nearly 40 DJs across the holiday season – including stars DJ Neptune, producer Sarz, and DJ Tunez – Obi’s House is one of Lagos’ trendiest parties. The curator, DJ Obi, also has a packed December schedule of other moves
South Africa
Dec. 25, Multipurpose Open Fields, Emkhathini, Tembisa, South Africa
For a Christmas Day dance soiree, hit this massive festival featuring Shimza, DJ Kent, Kabza, Maphorisa, Kelvin Momo, Leemckrazy, and more
Balcony Mix Africa – Cape Town
Dec. 27, The Ostrich Farm, Cape Town
Major League Djz built a global fan base by broadcasting their Amapiano balcony sets on YouTube and now promote a major festival, this one featuring heavyweights like DBN Gogo, and Kelvin Momo
Kabza De Small’s Paptaland and DJ Maphorisa’s Porryland
Jan. 1, Kwabhekilanga Sports Ground, Alexandra, Johannesburg, South Africa and Soshanguve Giant Stadium, Soshanguve, Pretoria, South Africa
The these two forces in South African dance music come together as the act Scorpion Kings; they’re also coming together with two festivals in their respective neighborhoods on one day
Ghana
AfroFuture Culture Beach Jam 2024
Dec. 28-29, Polo Beach Club, Accra, Ghana,
Scaling down from their customary festival, AfroFuture is bringing a two-day extravaganza shoreside with headliners Omah Lay, King Promise, KiDi, Shallipopi and more
New Year’s Eve with Positive Vibes Only
Dec. 31, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra, Ghana
AfroFuture also supports a popular New Year Eve’s party with event curators Positive Vibes Only
Kenya
Dec. 22, Laureate Gardens, Nairobi, Kenya
Celebrate “Kenyan Summer” at this festival filled with music, food, and craft vendors and across two main stages
Dec. 30-Jan. 1, Kilifi, Kenya
This scenic music festival’s bill includes dozens of acts like Kenyan star Blinky Bill (playing DJ) and South African amapiano impresario Virgo Deep – all deep in a striking forest
Soundtrack your Detty December with our playlist, including tracks from Davido featuring Chiké and Odumodublvck, Blaqbonez, Young Jonn, and more.
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