Summerjam 2006
Summerjam 2006

It began 21 years ago and the community continues to grow. Regggae, Dance Hall, Hip Hop, Soul and other Black music artists keep the entertainment industry rolling worldwide. At the Fuehlinger see in Cologne , Germany , some of the most creative artists performed to the satisfaction of thousands of visitors during the 3-day Summerjam festival from 14-16 July 2006. Afritopic was there to witness the show going on.

It was a beautiful sunny day on the 14. July 2006. People with rucksacks and portable tents were going in the same direction along the main road in Fuehlinger see on the outskirts of Cologne , Germany . The scene resembled a pilgrimage. The destination of the people was the camping area by the sea side at Fuehlinger see. The day was not a normal day in the area. It was the start of the 21st Summerjam, a 3-day open-air music festival with focus on Reggae, Dance Hall, Pop, Rap, Soul, Hip Hop and other forms of Black music. As usual, the festival attracted thousands of visitors from Germany as well as different countries in Europe . The festival included several music artists performing on 2 stages and 2 disco dance halls with professional DJs mixing the latest Dance Hall/Reggae cocktails. 38 music artists performed at the festival. Jimmy Cliff, brought back sweet memories to the old boys with hits like “Many Rivers To Cross”, “Wonderful World” and “I Can See Clearly Now”. He kept the audience swinging with his excellent vocals and professional show. Elephant Man (real name O’Neil Bryan) sent many ladies to the floor gasping with his thousand volt energy performance. Wearing, tight-fitting white trousers, matching white short jacket, his hair coloured orange-yellow, Elephant Man danced, ran across the stage, jumped and climbed on the giant loud-speakers while singing, rapping and creaming with raw powerful voice. He ended his show with a surprise by performing “We Are the World”, the hit song written in 1985 by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie to initiate a charity project “ USA for Africa ”. The African-German artist Joy Denalane proved her music talent and versatility with are soulful German and English lyrics. She performed her popular hits and songs from her latest album “Born and Raised”.

Jimmy Cliff in concert at the Summerjam 2006
Jimmy Cliff in concert at the Summerjam 2006

The visitors had three days of party atmosphere with finest Reggae, Dance Hall, Hip Hop and Black music in general. There were all sorts of amusements and side shows in which visitors could participate. In interviews, some of the visitors expressed their full satisfaction with the festival and promised to visit the next Summerjam in 2007.

Opinions of visitors

Melisa

I flew in from London , Britain to visit the Summerjam 2006. There is no festival comparable to the Summerjam in Britain . Though, there are far more people from the Caribbean in Britain than in Germany , I think that it would be difficult to organize a Reggae festival that could compete with Summerjam. The people in Germany are different in their attitude to Reggae. Unlike in Britain , the Germans seem to accept the music and the background culture/life-style associated with it. The English attitude towards the Black Caribbean culture might be influenced by the immigration history. I am a Caribbean born in London and grew up with Reggae and other Black music. I love Reggae as a whole but have my favourite musicians. I am at the Summerjam for the first time and I am impressed. Summerjam gives me the opportunity to experience some of my favourite artists live and see new artists perform. The atmosphere is relaxed, the people are friendly and I am having a lot of fun. It is a great feeling to be here.

Birgit

My elder brother is a Reggae fan. In the beginning, I was not really interested in the music. I had my own taste of music. With time, occasionally, when a Reggae CD is on, I could not escape the rhythm. I started picking up some words, then some lines of a popular song. Before long, I began to like the music and my interest grew. Today, I am hooked on Reggae music. I am visiting the Summerjam for the third time. I love the crowd and the shows. I am practically here on vacation, relaxing and enjoying myself.

Afritopic 2006