‘It really touches your soul.’ Afro Nation Miami puts spotlight on West African culture

Leslie Ayafor is not your average DJ.

He’s quiet, reserved even, an introvert who’s not necessarily comfortable in the spotlight. You might not even realize Ayafor happens to be one of Miami’s hottest Afrobeats DJs if he’s not behind a board. The minute he steps into the booth, however, a Clark Kent to Superman-like transformation occurs: his head permanently bobs to the beat, his arms flail rhythmically and his smile flashes whenever he sees the crowd moving to whatever hit blares from the speakers.

“It’s the music, man,” Ayafor said, trying to find the words to describe the feeling of listening to Afrobeats and amapiano. “It really touches your soul.”

Ayafor’s skills will be on full display Saturday as the Cameroon-born, Miami-based DJ plays Afro Nation at loanDepot Park. Billed as “the world’s biggest Afrobeats festival,” Afro Nation arrives at a time when Miami’s own Afrobeats scene has begun to blossom amid the city’s embrace of the genre. For West Africans in particular, the opportunity to see their culture on one of Miami’s biggest stage has been a long time coming.

“African culture – especially now with Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, all that – is definitely a lot more popular,” said Evelyn Onyejuruwa, the founder of African fashion boutique Ankara Delights. “Even on the radio, I can hear a Davido song. You never would’ve heard that 10 years ago.”

It didn’t used to always be that way. When the Nigeria-born Onyejuruwa moved to Miami in 1986, she faced cruel jokes from classmates for wearing traditional African dresses. Onyejuruwa, however, never worried: her Nigerian heritage was a badge of honor, a connection to the motherland that she has pushed for Black Floridians to embrace.

“I know how beautiful [Nigeria] is, I know the richness of the culture,” Onyejuruwa said. The explosion of Afrobeats has also allowed members of the African diaspora to see the similarities in the music, she added. “We’re all able to appreciate the music because it’s all coming from the same place – the drums, bassline, guitar, piano – the beats are all coming from West Africa.”

Although an Afrobeats festival, Afro Nation seeks to pay homage to the African Diaspora as a whole. The lineup features an all-star team of Afrobeat and amapiano acts like Burna Boy, Wizkid and Uncle Waffles but also dancehall legends Mavado and Beenie Man. And while social media critics questioned whether everyone will show up following a slew of last-minute dropouts at 2022’s Afro Nation Puerto Rico, festival co-founder Adesegun Adeosun Jr., better known as SMADE, assured that the Miami edition will be different.

“The last three years have been very difficult within the entertainment spaces,” SMADE said, explaining that some acts couldn’t make it due to not having the right COVID vaccinations and not being able to travel. “We’re in a better place now.”

Afrobeats’ similarities with genres from the Caribbean is part of what inspired Onyejuruwa and Jason Panton to start The Shrine, a weekly party at Red Rooster that caters to fans of Afrobeats, amapiano, dancehall and soca. Although the latest Census data shows West Africans make up less than one percent of South Florida’s foreign-born population, Afrobeats is the majority of the music played at the party, said Panton.

“The music is helping to push back on the assumption of Africa as poor,” the Jamaica-born Panton said, adding that his 11-year-old son “has been singing Wizkid for four years. In Yoruba!”

Panton couldn’t help but be excited for Afro Nation, which he called the “first full presentation without cancellation of Afrobeats, amapiano culture mixed in with Caribbean vibes.” Two of The Shrine’s mainstays – Ayafor and Timothy “Jumbee” Nicholas – will be gracing the Afro Nation stage.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Nicholas, a Trinidadian-American who will be opening up for Rema on Sunday evening. Nicholas and Ayafor have been friends ever since the two performed at the same event in 2016.

“I think me and him respectively held down the Afrobeats space for years before it was played on the radio, before it was played in any club. So now I get to play the main stage and see my boy get to play the main stage as well, it’s about time. It’s well deserved.”

The ability to highlight emerging talent has always been a goal of Afro Nation, said SMADE.

“We want to put people on,” he added. “We want to impact people’s careers.”

And while Ayafor is grateful for the opportunity, he can’t help but remain humble. The week will be busy – he has gigs every night from Wednesday on including his very own Stamped event on Sunday – but Ayafor laments not everyone making it this far.

“I wish everyone who started it with me was still in the game,” Ayafor said when asked how felt about his upcoming performance. “A lot of parties, promoters failed.”

The actual performance part, Ayafor added, will come easy. He’s more so worried about what’s before him as well as what comes next. Afro Nation Miami, he resolved, cannot be a one-hit wonder.

“I want people to see Miami as a place where you can throw events like Afro Nation and it be successful,” Ayafor said, “where you can be unapologetically African.”

IF YOU GO

What: Afro Nation Miami

When: May 27-28

Where: loanDepot Park, 501 Marlins Way, Miami

Tickets: $149-$449 + taxes and fees or visit https://usa.afronation.com/tickets/ for more information.