Acoustics Cabarets
from Nuits d’Afrique

A vibrant and warm month of October, filled with discoveries and unforgettable encounters

October 7, 2025

The lights of autumn come alive, and with them resonate the warm harmonies of the Nuits d’Afrique Acoustic Cabarets. Until November 2, the Club Balattou becomes the beating heart of a musical journey where borders fade to the rhythm of drums, strings, and voices from every horizon. Twenty concerts, twenty invitations to travel, where each note tells the story of a world — from Cameroon to Brazil, from Rwanda to Haiti, from Morocco to Madagascar.

Like a breath from afar, this new edition extends the magic of the Nuits d’Afrique International Festival with more intimate and emotion filled evenings.

Musical journey through West Africa

The month will open on the red soils of West Africa, where music is both memory and future. The first rendezvous is on October 11 with Kabey Konaté, the reggae griot, who will present Tama (Disques Nuits d’Afrique/Believe), a new album vibrant with wisdom and gentle rebellion. Blending reggae, Mandingo percussion, and sunlit vocals, Kabey offers a living celebration of African roots, modernized by a universal spirit.

On October 19, Gwada Maga will bring his rhythms to the Balattou stage for his first international concert. Heir to a long lineage of griots, this unique artist crafts soundscapes where traditional melodies blend with Afro-beat and contemporary influences. He sings of transmission, memory, and identity with rare intensity.

Finally, on October 26, Aziz Siten’k, pioneer of slam in Mali, will set words and minds dancing. His voice tells the Africa of today — the one of struggles and shared dreams — balanced between ancestral orality and urban modernity.

Cameroon: sounds from a vibrant land

A true mosaic of accents and emotions, Cameroon will be at the heart of this edition. The queen of Cameroonian slam, Lydol, who was given a standing ovation by the audience during this summer’s Nuits d’Afrique Festival, returns to the stage for a concert on October 31. Between poetry and performance, her magnetic presence transforms every word into a pulse and every silence into a heartbeat.

Also taking the spotlight is linguistic and cultural diversity with Only the Righteous, on October 3. This half-Cameroonian, half-Haitian group plays with musical and linguistic borders, boldly blending French, English, Creole, and Medumba in a whirlwind of groove and communal energy.

On October 10, Jumelles d’Afrique will deliver a concert filled with grace and power, celebrating African roots and pride through captivating vocal harmonies. Then, on October 25, it’s the turn of Oluwa Banjo, whose guitar playing and hypnotic rhythms build a bridge between traditions and modern sounds.

Brazil knows how to get the Balattou to dance

When Brazil takes the stage, the Balattou turns into a carnival. Singer, songwriter, and percussionist Lu Horta will open the festivities on October 5 with a performance that is both subtle and radiant. Her melodies, carried by her crystalline voice and body percussion, captivate with their organic vitality.

On October 16, the group Samba Canjêre will set the room vibrating with the soft yet explosive rhythms of traditional samba. These masters of tempo remind us that samba is much more than a dance — it’s a state of mind, a joyful and contagious breath of life.

Closing the program on November 2, Forró das Andorinhas will take us on a journey through the many faces of Northeastern Brazilian music. It promises a moment of pure, festive communion where the audience will be invited to dance and celebrate the richness of Brazilian heritage.

A multicultural celebration on a human scale

Each week, from Thursday to Sunday, the Club Balattou hosts these Nuits d’Afrique Acoustic Cabarets in a warm atmosphere, true to the spirit of this legendary institution on Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Here, the closeness between artists and audience makes all the difference. It’s a place to discover, share, and experience music as an ongoing conversation.

The Nuits d’Afrique Acoustic Cabarets 2025 promise an October filled with discoveries and unforgettable encounters, where the music of the world resonates like so many stars in the same Montreal sky. These evenings continue Nuits d’Afrique’s mission, pursued for nearly forty years, to spotlight the talents that weave Montreal’s cultural diversity. They are more than just a series of concerts — they are a vibrant tribute to the richness and plurality of the world’s voices, and to the energy of living together.

Featured image: Lydol – Courtesy of the Nuits d’Afrique International Festival