Feeling the African beat

When I mention the small African nation of Malawi, odds are your first thought isn’t “Sounds like a great place to go on holiday.” But now a group of Irish DJs are joining the fight to change that perception, and to raise the country’s profile with the Lake Of Stars music festival.
Malawi is one of the world’s poorest countries, but it’s also a largely undiscovered tourist destination. There are friendly locals, amazing wildlife parks, glorious mountains, golden beaches, huge lakes and, if you’re there during the first weekend of October, an international DJ jamboree.
The Lake Of Stars Festival takes place from October 5-7 on the shores of the massive Lake Malawi. And this year, for the first time, Irish DJs are taking part. Trevor O’Shea, managing director with Irish DJ collective BodyTonic, is organising the trip. Lake Of Stars is special in many ways, he says: “It’s different from your usual festival. This is more of an experience. It’s in Africa, so there’s a lot of travelling involved – but it’s completely unique.”
The aim of the festival is to get more visitors into the country, so that the government can generate more revenue from tourism – and ultimately move out of the trap of relying on aid. Trevor explains: “It’s done in association with UNICEF, and the idea behind the festival is that it heightens awareness of Malawi as a tourist destination. It’s not about raising money and giving it to people in Malawi. It’s about getting it into people’s heads that there’s this festival they can go to, ‘cause a lot of people might not even know where Malawi is.”
hotpress’ Aoife Caulfield is among the Irish DJs planning to play at Lake Of Stars. Aoife says word-of-mouth is one way to help promote tourism in Malawi: “Assuming everything goes well, we’ll come back and tell 50 people each that Malawi is a great spot.” The collective of Irish DJs will play a five-hour set at this year’s festival, joining a host of acts from the UK and Africa, including Radio One DJs Gilles Peterson, Annie Mac and Rob Da Bank.
Following in the footsteps of Groove Armada’s Andy Cato and Felix B from Basement Jaxx, the Irish performers are excited to be able to take part. Both Trevor and Aoife say that the group has wanted to play Lake Of Stars for years. “This is the first time someone from Ireland has gone over and we’re kinda representing the country,” Trevor says. “It’s been going for about three years. A friend of mine in Liverpool got us thinking about it.”
Tickets to Lake Of Stars are around €60, and accommodation ranges from around €4.50 per night (camping) to €37 (hotel). Not bad for a weekend festival! The problem for the Irish performers is the cost of flying cross-continent. It’s a long way to Lilongwe, the Malawian capital, and flights aren’t exactly cheap. “Getting there, the flights – that’s the expensive bit,” Aoife says, “but once we get there it’s cheap enough.”
BodyTonic and pals are organising a series of fundraisers for UNICEF, with the first gig on Friday June 1 in The Bernard Shaw, Portobello. There’s a fancy dress theme for the night: Favourite Music Legends Of All Time. Or, as Aoife says “dress like any star” in keeping with the Lake Of Stars theme.
Acts at the fundraiser include the Scribble DJs, Global DJs and special guest Dublex from Pulver Records in Germany. “It’s gonna be €1 on the door and then people can make donations if they want,” Trevor says. “There’ll also be a competition for the best dressed fake celeb.”
If the idea of turning a festival visit into a safari appeals to you, check out www.lakeofstars.co.uk.

Photography by Naomi Mc Ardle