The one-day festival on August 30th starts in the afternoon at the Fòrum and will rage on for nearly 12 hours. National, international and even exiled acts will offer the public flamenco, jazz, reggae, rock, hip hop, rumba and Asian underground sounds. Included on the festival bill are Asian Dub Foundation, Le Peuple de l’Herbe, Amparanoia, Zuco 103, the Always Drinking Marching Band, and exiled African artist and social issue fighter Tiken Jah Fakoly.

While intimidating in stature, Tiken is a softspoken man with the goal of helping his homeland through the medium of reggae music, as artists like Peter Tosh and Lucky Dube did before him. His message may not be new, asking for aid and understanding for the less fortunate as opposed to turned backs and closed borders, but perhaps the most impressive thing about Tiken is that after 15 years of spoken word spitting over the plight of his people – which has even seen him forced into exile – he continues the fight.

Born in Africa’s Ivory Coast, he was forced to flee his home and set up residence in Mali for speaking out
against the political powers-that-be in his songs. Being away from home hasn’t been all-bad, though. ”Living in exile has opened my mind,” Tiken says. “Before, I was just Ivorian, and now I am African. Before, I fought for the good of Ivory Coast. Now it is for all of Africa.” He is still hopeful that things can change – something to admire in a world where cynicism and complaining seem to reign supreme.

After stopping in France, Switzerland and Belgium, Tiken takes to the Barcelona stage with his hopeful message ¨to open borders and have equality for the people. Spanish people and others around the world can travel to Africa whenever they want, but we cannot do the same. Why can’t people go where they want, when they want?”

Tiken will not be going back to Ivory Coast any time soon; elections are coming, which means this is the most dangerous time for him because of his history of speaking out. The main thing he hopes for in this latest round of voting is ”a good, fair election, where the people of Ivory Coast really DO choose a leader, and that that person will do something good for all the people, not just for himself.”

In the meantime, Tiken is tirelessly performing around the world, trying to provoke action from his shows. The organisers of the Cruilla festival share in this positive way of thinking, uniting artists flying just below mainstream radar with voices for socio-political change in the hope that something good will come from it all. Festivals of the like are a fantastic idea; one hopes that those in attendance not only enjoy them for the great beats and party atmosphere, but actually take something grander away home with them.

August 30, 2008