Adesegun Adeosun Jr. aka Smade is a Nigerian-born citizen who moved to London to study. His passion for African entertainment led him to launch his own brand Smade Entertainment, which is now the number one Afrobeats promoter company.
This year, Smade and his partner, Obi Asika, are hosting the first installment of their already sold-out festival, Afro Nation. The festival will take place on the beautiful beaches of Algarve, Portugal August 1-4. They will host a second edition of the fest on Laboma Beach in Accra, Ghana December 27-30. Those tickets go on sale soon.
Afro Nation will be one of, if not the, largest African inspired music festival to hit Europe and later Africa. With names like Stefflon Don and Davido on the ticket, you know it will be dope.
We spoke with Smade about festival, how it was birthed, and what we can expect when we attend.
Travel Noire: How was Afro Nation born?
Smade: This idea was birthed by my partner Obi Asika and I, out of a passion to unify Africans in the diaspora. We want to spread the African culture worldwide and seeing other festivals, we were inspired to start an African festival that gives a bigger platform to African artists.
TN: How did you decide that Portugal was the best place to have a festival like this?
Smade: We knew our first destination had to have beautiful weather and be accessible to the people spread all over Europe. We chose it because it is affordable for the festival goers and has good vibes. It also has a strong link to African history, Lagos is only 40 mins from our site . There are obviously some painful connections between this part of Portugal and our homeland. It will be a moment of deep significance to see our people come together in celebration at Afro Nation.
Related: Inside Afrochella, Ghana’s Answer To Coachella
TN: What can we expect at Afro Nation?
Smade: We have performances from some of the biggest names out of Africa right now like Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy. There are going to be beach parties & boat parties; and expect delicious African food and amazing African fashion. It’s going to be good vibes all around!
TN: What does bringing a platform like this to Portugal mean to you?
Smade: It means that Europe is going to have the pan-African experience, we want the world to see how truly beautiful our culture is. We want to unite our diaspora and bring all different types of people together, to celebrate life.
TN: Where can we find more info about the festival?
Smade: You can find us online at www.afronation.com and on our Instagram @afronation & @afronationghana for all updates as they come.