Tiken Jah Fakoly, is one of the most well reputed singers in reggae that knows how to combine the spirituality of gospel, the feelings of soul and the sorrow of people from the ghetto. He was in charge of sounding the final notes of ‘Reggae for Freedom’. This was a record-breaking edition as for the first time, a sign was hung up that read “sold out” for the concert from Manu Chao La Ventura on the Main Stage.
The official closing line up of the festival on the Main Stage, where more than 35 different performers played out, welcomed Freddie McGregor, who shared the stage with his sons Stephen ‘Di Genius’ and ‘Chino’ McGregor, along with one of the legendary voices in reggae, Max Romeo, who also shared the stage with his daughter Xana Romeo and son Rominal Romeo.
The mix of reggae, ska, dancehall, dub, punk rock and hip hop of the London based band The Skints, the Brazilian Donaleda, The Soulshiners from France, or the ‘flow’ of the Mediterranean Roots hailing from Valencia, closed the last night of the Showcase Stage, which over recent days has demonstrated some of the best examples of reggae that is being made right now in all corners of the world. The British Jamie Rodigan and Sentinel from Germany closed off the DanceHall, while in the Dub Academy, the French collective Stand High Patrol played out alongside Rootystep, Macgyver & Merry, as well as the Spanish Antxon Sagardui aka Crudobilbao ft Sensi T, Novato & Irie Nanara who closed the session that marked the end of this edition of the festival.
More than 30 activities every day
As much as in the different stages as in the non-musical areas, the festival area hosted more than 18 hours of uninterrupted concerts and activities such as talks, workshops, courses and dances every day, which have united people from 80 different nationalities. In total, in the eight days of the festival, the ten cultural and fun-filled areas, as many in the festival as at the beaches, held more than 270 activities. In numbers, there were more than 30 daily activities, which was only made possible thanks to the people of all ages, who learned, shared and enjoyed them at the festival, going a lot further than purely offering musical enjoyment alone.
The last day activities included, but not be limited to; Charo Corbacho, the vice president of Amnesty International, speaking about human rights in the Social Forum, along with Max Romeo, reflecting on his musical career in the second to last session at the Reggae University. The Swiss rastafari Ras Ibi, who became the first European to be hosted by the Nyah Binghi rastafari community and addressed the issues of ‘rasta’ diets and holistic ways of living.