The music of BEN OKAFOR is available worldwide for download. 78 SONGS!!!!!
Ben is currently playing the role of James Somerset in the play, "Rough Crossings." This story is about a group of former African-American slaves, who after fighting for Britain in the American war of Independence, struggle to find true freedom and a place in the world they can finally call home.
NEW CD - "Child of Biafra" The premiere performance of Ben Okafor's stage production of "Child of Biafra" takes place on Thursday 19th July in the Contact Theatre, Manchester as part of Manchester University's 'War and our World' seminar. "Child of Biafra" is written and performed by Ben and is co-written and directed by Justin Butcher and is a dramatisation in words and music of Ben's childhood experiences of the Nigeria-Biafra War, during which Ben was a child soldier. Songs from the stage production are available on Ben's new "Child of Biafra" CD (released 23rd July) which is available for pre-order in our on-line shop. For more details on 'War and our World visit www.manchester.ac.uk/warandourworld and to book tickets (£6/£7) or for enquiries please email ruth.daniel@manchester.ac.uk READ MORE about CHILD OF BIAFRA [LINK] |
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Excellent Article: Ben Okafor: Redemption Songs From An Ex-Boy Soldier A very in-depth article by Tony and Maxine Cummings in the CROSS RHYTHMS online magazine. View Article [LINK] |
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Live Performance Video Greenbelt Festival (View Video) |
April 26 (Thursday)
Location: Birmingham
Venue: Midlands Arts Centre (MAC)
Email:
info@macarts.co.uk
URL:
www.macarts.co.uk
The concert took place in the Hexagon venue and was entitled "African Acoustic"
This
was an intimate and rootsy evening with the great Ben Okafor.
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March 25 (Sunday) Heaven & Earth
Backstage
URL: [LINK] |
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Photo: Ben Okafor and Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty greet
Queen Elizabeth. March 12, 2007: Ben Okafor spoke before representatives from the 53 Commonwealth countrys' political party leaders and the Queen herself at the Commonwealth Day Celebration. He related his childhood experiences as a boy soldier in the Biafran army during Nigeria's civil war. Ben and his fellow-speakers received honorary memberships of the Royal Commonwealth Society. Click to read more [LINK] and view [FLASH] |
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In 2008 Ben is preparing to embark on a unique and vital Tour, performing
a powerful programme of solo acoustic music and poetry, specifically to
raise awareness of the needs of children affected by HIV & AIDS and to
elicit a practical response. In partnership with
The Bethany Children's
Trust (BCT), he will seek to call Christians, churches and
communities to play their part in restoring the lives of children affected
by the disease. Click for more information. [LINK]
 Commencing in the Spring of this year,
Ben will be embarking on a tour of UK
universities and colleges with his band. This tour will be in partnership
with chaplaincies, human rights groups, arts and social sciences
departments. In addition to performing with his band Ben will be
available to participate in discussions, workshops and debates.
Click here for more info. [LINK]Visit "The SPIRIT of the ACT" Tour HERE on MySpace.com and join its FRIENDS Network. |
The "RAISE YOUR CONSCIENCE" section of this site has new information added. Information about The Bethany Children’s Trust (BCT) has been added to the HIV & AIDS heading. Click HERE for more.
| BEN OKAFOR seeks peace and justice, truth and love.
He is currently involved with the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child
Soldiers, Amnesty International, and many other organizations
that work for the good of humanity.
We need YOUR help in this fight. Become a part of Ben Okafor's ONLINE web team. For more information about this, click HERE. |
 BEN
OKAFOR (Ben Chukwudebelu Okafor) enlisted as a soldier in the
Biafra war at the age of 13 -- showing the passion to protect his loved
ones and fight for what's right. This live play captures this time
in his life.Ben is working on this project at the moment -- writing all original music. |
 Ben has completed the original music for "African Snow" -- a live play
about the abolition of slavery. Visit website
HERE. |
| We invite you to join our MySpace network.
www.myspace.com/benokaformusic
www.myspace.com/spiritoftheact |
 Ben Okafor was interviewed by Oumarou Barry of "Initiative
Africa." (Visit website
HERE.)"Initiative Africa, the TV magazine showing an Africa on the move" Ben talks with Oumarou Barry about how he enlisted in the Biafran War as a child soldier as well as discussed some of the projects he's involved in at this time. EXCELLENT INTERVIEW!!! |
 The NO CHILD SOLDIERS project aims to draw attention to the
situation of child soldiers. This record brings together some of
Africa’s best-known musicians - Ben Okafor, Alpha Blondy,
Angélique Kidjo, Mama Keita, Lokua Kanza, Bibie, Monique Séka, Charlotte
M’Bango, Aïcha Koné and Madéka - who met up especially in the studio to
record “BEMAMOU”, the previously unreleased highlight track on
the album.NO CHILD SOLDIERS also features Salif Keita, Corneille, Tété, Rokia Traoré, Extra Bokaya, Youssou N’Dour & Geoffrey Oryema. The project’s aims: - To draw attention to the existence of child soldiers and to inform a wide public of their plight. - To protect the present and future generations by funding concrete projects aiming to demobilise child soldiers and readapt them to civilian life. |
Ben¹s
fantastic new 13-song album "Acoustic Close-Up" is now available! The
follow-up to the much-heralded "Coffee With Lazarus" (2000) sees him
charting new territory. Recorded in his new purpose-built recording studio;
acoustic based songs have been a long time important and much-loved element in
Ben's concerts, and it is true to say that this has not been truly reflected,
captured and explored in any great depth on his previous albums.
The
new CD was released to coincide with Ben¹s appearances at the 2006 Greenbelt
Festival over the August Bank Holiday Weekend. Late Sunday evening saw Ben
headlining in the Performance Cafe playing to a packed crowd of 900 fans.
At one point security was getting very concerned over the size of the crowd with
regards to safety! Playing with just his acoustic guitar and with some vocal
support from old friend and Mohabir Sister Chrissy, Ben held the crowd
for an hour with a vibrant, powerful and passionate performance.
September saw Ben touring Quaker Schools throughout the UK as part of their UN World Peace Day activitites. Ben went to each school for a day to take part in lessons and perform. Using his own experiences as a boy soldier and his past work with the likes of Desmond Tutu he was able to get alongside pupils and help them produce some great work of their own, whether that be poems, songs, prose or drama. He was also featured in an article on the Quaker Schools activities in The Independent (a UK national newspaper for you overseas readers)
Immediately after the schools tour, Ben jumped on a plane at Heathrow and jetted into Lagos, the capital city of his homeland Nigeria, to perform in two packed out concerts. Ben had a great time and was moved by the response of the vast crowds - we are talking 1000¹s of people!
November 2006
Ben¹s old friend Harvey Jones, producer of Ben¹s "Coffee With Lazarus" album, flew in from New York to spend a few weeks working with Ben in his new Malvern studio (where "Acoustic Close-Up" was recorded) laying down some basic track frameworks for his next album. Provisionally entitled "Diverted Traffic" the plan is for the album to be released in 2007, but no date has been finalized. You¹ve still got plenty of time to explore all of Ben¹s other great CDs
Also
released since the last newsletter is the new strictly-limited edition CD of
Ben¹s 1992 masterpiece, "Generation." As well as the original album the
CD features brand new recordings of 3 previously unreleased Ben tracks that were
written just after the Generation sessions. These new recordings: "This Is My
Life," "Tell Me Why" and "God's World (Do The Right Thing)"
were the first to come
from his own brand new studio (read Ben¹s liner notes in the CD booklet) and
they fit perfectly onto the album and make this CD a must for any Ben Okafor
fan.
