The story of BATUKE! Festival
The Batuke! Festival started out of our passion for the music and dance of Afro - Portuguese countries. We realised that there is a special rapport and connection between all the Portuguese speaking countries, a recognition of common experiences through music and dance. In 2010, when we started there was no platform in the UK where Afro - Portuguese artists were represented, the community could experience their culture in a professional space, young and old, and share their common heritage. So, we decided to just go ahead and do it ourselves! We self produced initially through our regular events. It was very risky, but we believed in it so we made it work! The team derived from Iris De Brito social dance school at the time - Studio Afro Latino. Roles were delegated, artists contacted, plenty of volunteering support and voila! We became the go - to festival in the UK representing Afro-Portuguese culture, created a space for artistic development, cultural exchange and research. Guest artists came from the USA, France, Senegal, Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and the UK. We were founded by the Arts Council for 5 years and developed creative partnerships.
In 2019 we achieved a fantastic milestone with our 10th Anniversary and decided to have a break.
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We are now looking towards developing a new event, investing in organisational development and research. Make sure you continue to follow us and connect with us through Afro - Portuguese culture!
Where TO Stay
Air BnB
From £40 per night per person
Discount Code:
none, but very good options around
Address:
search near Bethnal Green Road
London is AirBnB second largest city and there are a plenty of great options near Rich Mix, and if you have not used AirBnB yet, this is a great way to stay in fancy appartments for a much cheaper price than any hotel stay.
The Dictionary Hostel
From £20 per night per person!
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​​Address:
20 Kingsland Road, E2 8DA
This is our recommandation for out-of-town participants. The Dictionary Hostel is the closest of all accomodations options on offer this year, being less than 5 minutes walk from Rich Mix + you have a 10% discount for any night purchased between 23rd and 30th August!
Tune Hotel Liverpool Street
From £60 per night per person
Discount Code:
no discount code there
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Address:
15 Folgate Street, E1 6BX
Only 10 minutes walk from Rich Mix and close to Liverpool Street station, Tune Hotel is a good option, with price per head starting at £40! However please note you will need to pay for every little extra (like towels or shampoo) and there is no breakfast there.
44(0)20 7456 0400
gm.london.liverpoolstreet@tunehotels.com
www.tunehotels.com