La Nuit d’Afrique – From Sahel to Rhine

Like a river flowing from the Sahel to the Rhine, the evening opens up new spaces for resonance. West African traditions encounter the musical language of the Rhineland, carried by Baaba Maal, Jeri Jeri, Elida Almeida and the Melane Mosaic Project. Wolfgang Niedecken, as Local Ambassador, brings these currents together and allows stories, landscapes and voices to converge in a shared musical flow.

On 1 June 2026, the Over-the-Border Festival will celebrate its tenth anniversary with an extraordinary concert evening. The focus will be on Baaba Maal, one of the defining voices of West Africa, whose singing and musical vision combine traditional Sahelian soundscapes with global themes. His involvement in international projects – most recently the award-winning Black Panther soundtrack – makes him a central artistic figure of the evening. The concert uses the power of music to bring issues such as land change, resilience, migration and global connectedness to life. The encounter between these soundscapes creates a space that aims to celebrate, connect and move audiences in equal measure – an evening that opens horizons and makes new perspectives audible.