Under the cover - Rhythms without borders

he African Music and Cultural Festival celebrates rhythms that transcend borders, reminding us that music connects us beyond language. From Italian anthems to African beats, rhythm unites cultures in ways words alone cannot.

Have you ever sung at the top of your lungs to a song you didn’t fully understand? Maybe you knew the chorus, or maybe just a few words, but it didn’t matter because the rhythm carried you. For me, two songs immediately come to mind: Gloria by Umberto Tozzi and Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. The first is a timeless Italian classic that can ignite a dance floor anywhere in the world; the second, a Spanish-language anthem whose rhythms conquered the globe.

When I finally read the English translation of Despacito, I laughed. Let’s just say the lyrics weren’t quite as innocent as I had once belted out in the car with my kids. But that’s the beauty of music: it transcends language. We may not always understand the words, yet we instinctively feel the energy, the pulse, the emotion. That is rhythm without barriers.

“That’s the beauty of music: it transcends language. We may not always understand the words, yet we instinctively feel the rhythm.”

As Chair of the African Music and Cultural Festival (AMCF), I see this truth come to life every year at Melbourne’s Federation Square. Now in its 12th year, the festival attracts more than 50,000 people over three days. We bring together over 40 African cultures in one vibrant program of music, dance, food, film, and fashion. It is the largest African cultural festival in Australia, and perhaps the most joyful illustration of how rhythm transcends language, culture, and nationality.

A Festival of Unity

The AMCF began as an ambitious idea among friends more than a decade ago. At the time, I was Treasurer of the Nigerian Society of Victoria, and the seed was planted through conversations with community leaders. We saw the potential to create an event that would unite all African communities under one banner. Our first festival in 2014 welcomed 5,000 attendees. Today, it has grown into a nationally recognised celebration, backed by government and corporate partners and embraced by the wider Australian community.

Each year, the program is a testament to both tradition and innovation. On Friday, we open with African-Australian short films and spoken word. Saturday brings 12 hours of music, fashion parades, drumming workshops, and our famous Jollof Rice Wars—Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal competing in a friendly culinary showdown. Sunday continues the rhythm with more performances and a community forum on topical issues affecting African Australians.

What makes AMCF special is not just the program but the atmosphere: children learning African drumming alongside parents; Italian Australians trying jollof rice for the first time; teenagers dancing to beats they don’t have words for, but instinctively understand. It is music as the great connector, dissolving the boundaries between “you” and “me” until only “we” remains.

The Italian Connection

Segmento celebrates Italian culture in Australia—so where does Italy fit in this conversation about African rhythms? More than you might imagine.

Italy has long been a crossroads of rhythm. Songs like Tozzi’s Gloria remind us that a melody born in Turin can find its way into Australian nightclubs and wedding playlists. Opera, with its deep traditions, has touched audiences from Lagos to Melbourne, even for those who don’t speak a word of Italian. African rhythms, too, have profoundly influenced Italian jazz, pop, and folk traditions, carried through centuries of migration and exchange across the Mediterranean.

In Melbourne, Italian and African communities often find themselves neighbours—trading recipes, rhythms, and friendships. I have seen Italian grandparents tapping their feet to Congolese rumba at AMCF, just as I have seen African families enjoying gelato on Lygon Street after a night of jazz. These are rhythms without barriers: culture crossing culture until we are not just spectators of diversity, but participants in it.

“These are rhythms without barriers: culture crossing culture until we are not just spectators of diversity, but participants in it.”

Beyond Words

As someone who grew up in Nigeria, studied in the UK, and built a life in Australia, I’ve learned that identity is never a single note. It is a rhythm—layered, evolving, sometimes syncopated. Through AMCF, I hope to share that rhythm with others.

When people gather at Federation Square for the festival, many don’t know the words to the songs being sung. They don’t need to. Whether it’s Ethiopian jazz, South African house, or Nigerian Afrobeats, they move their bodies because rhythm speaks in a universal tongue. It is the same way when Italians sing Gloria or Australians sway to Despacito.

And that’s why AMCF will always remain free and family-friendly. Music should not be gated by money or restricted by age. It belongs to everyone. With the support of government, sponsors, and a dedicated team of volunteers, we continue to create a space where cultures meet and barriers dissolve.

Looking Forward

My vision is for AMCF to grow into a world-class festival that brings Melbourne to a standstill, much like Carnevale in Venice or Notting Hill Carnival in London. Imagine airlines scheduling extra flights because the world is coming to Melbourne to dance to African rhythms in the spring sunshine. Imagine Italian bands collaborating with African drummers on our main stage, blending melodies and beats into something entirely new. That is the future I see: a festival where every rhythm finds its place, without barriers.

So, the next time you find yourself singing along to a song you don’t understand, smile. In that moment, you are part of something bigger—a global chorus of people united not by words, but by rhythm. And if you want to experience that chorus live, come to Federation Square this November. Bring your voice, your appetite, your dancing shoes. You may not know the lyrics, but the rhythm will carry you.

“Bring your voice, your appetite, and your dancing shoes. You may not know the lyrics, but the rhythm will carry you.”