International literature and music festival

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Dave Okumu & the 7 Generations

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Friday November 3, 2023

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19.00 - 20.00

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EVENING PROGRAMME

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Korzo - The Raven

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Artist

Dave Okumu & the 7 Generations

Mercury nominated singer-songwriter and producer Dave Okumu finds inspiration in crowded rooms, where the air is thick with the noise and fervour of his creative collaborators.


Okumu started his music career in the mid noughties’ art rock trio The Invisible. Their eponymous 2009 debut album was nominated for the Mercury Prize and was followed by Rispah in 2012 and Patience in 2016. The band was one of his many collaborations: Okumu also developed a reputation as a producer and musical mentor, working with artists including Tony Allen, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Jessie Ware, and his hero Grace Jones.

In 2021 Okumu released Knopperz, an instrumental concept album based on pianist Duval Timothy’s 2017 album Sen Am, followed by I Came From Love in 2023, released under the name Dave Okumu & The 7 Generations. This astonishingly varied album weaves a tapestry of Black experience that explores ancestry, the legacy of slavery, and what it means to exist in an unjust society.

The album features a star-studded array of guest appearances, including Eska, Kwabs, Wesley Joseph, Robert Stillman, Anthony Joseph, Byron Wallen, Raven Bush, and Grace Jones, who Okumu is still dazzled to be working with.

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