At the Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theater
Located at 3rd Street and Oakdale Avenue in San Francisco

Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 5pm
September 15 & 16, 22 & 23, 29 & 30

Marketplace

Experience the music, dance, food, art and crafts of the African Diaspora when the second annual International African Marketplace comes to the Bayview Hunters Point district on September 15-16, 22-23 and 29-30.

All activities are free and take place from noon to five at the Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theater and Courtyard on Third Street and Oakdale Avenue, easily accessible from the MUNI “T” line.

Presenting global goods and wares of the African Diaspora, local vendors will create a lively cultural destination venue within the Bayview Hunters Point community and illuminate the range, depth and diversity of the African-American experience.

This extraordinary event spans three weekends of the finest World music, Latin, jazz, reggae and rhythm and blues performances. Famed timbalero Pete Escovedo will front his eleven-member group and flaunt his unique signature sound, a potent blend of contemporary Latin jazz flavored with African and Brazilian influences and filtered through a pop-tinged prism. Escovedo played with Cal Tjader and formed his own Chicano-rock group Azteca before rising to prominence with Carlos Santana's band in the 1970s. Award-winning World Music innovators Dr. Loco's Rockin' Jalapeño Band will explore the rich diversity of Chicano/Latino music from prehispanic to postmodern. Internationally renowned Brasil Brazil Show will also be on hand to invigorate the crowd with their unique Brazilian percussion instruments and colorful Carnivale costumes. Featuring singers Ana Gazzola and Sonia Santos, Brasil Brazil Show delivers the fervor and excitement of popular Brazilian music, tinged with jazz and spiced with Latin and African drumming.

Adults can also learn new moves at the free African, Brazilian, step and salsa dancing classes.

Witness Junglz Apart bandleader Tony D as he channels the spirit of Bob Marley with his soulful vocals and percussion. Kenya-born Victor Sila will rivet audiences with his funkified sound with traces of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Fela Kuti. His band Sila and the Afro-Funk Experience delivers manic drumming and energetic performances infused with West African swing. Led by Nigerian vocalist and bassist Ken Okulolo, Kotoja will excite the crowd with their infectious mix of African highlife, Juju, jazz and World rhythms. The dynamic ensemble features thrilling vocals backed by guitar, bass, bongos, drums, keyboard, trombone, trumpet and saxophone. Groove to the dynamic sounds of reggae club band Native Elements, whose cool fusion of musical influences range from classic soul to the deepest tradition of Jamaican and English dub. Thrill to the rich tones of former Coasters band member Alvon Johnson, whose vocal stylings characterized legendary fifties' classics such as “Charlie Brown”, “Yakety Yak” and “Poison Ivy”. Alvon is also an exceptional session player and guitarist who won the 2005 Guitar Player of the Year award.

Children's activities will include mask making, mural painting, t-shirt design and both instruction and performances from Prescott Family Circus. This assemblage of professional artists teaches children to develop an array of circus skills including juggling, acrobatics, balancing, unicycling, stilting, hip hop dance, hambone body percussion, clowning and improvisation. Kids will also learn about performance art, from creative expression and stage presence to theatre vocabulary and production.