LONG BRANCH — The 22nd annual Oceans of Rhythm Festival will be a part of Long Branch’s Oceanfest, the city’s annual July Fourth extravaganza.
Presented by Zeybrah, the festival celebrates Afro-Caribbean culture. Performances will begin at the stage in front of the Garfield statue, behind the Ocean Place Resort, 1 Ocean Blvd.
After an hour of African-based music and dance, there will be a musical procession along the boardwalk led by an African stilt walker.
Highlighting the African dance and drumming will be members of Yakar Roots and Rhythms, an African drum and dance ensemble that is led by Ousmane Sall, with Alioune “Guido” Faye, Ngor Jallow, Aida Faty, Mbaye Nyasse, Mariama Basse and others. Yakar’s artists come from families that have preserved their heritage of rich cultural music and dance forms for hundreds of years.
After the performance, members of the audience can join a musical procession to the ocean.
This year, Zeybrah will also feature Umara Neves, a master of Brazilian music and dance art forms.
Neves is a virtuoso on the berimbau, a traditional Brazilian stringed instrument, and excels at the art forms of capoeria and samba. He will collaborate with local groups Mzume, which specializes in the Brazilian samba, and the Oceans of Rhythm Ensemble.
Also featured this year is Lamine Thiam, a drumming, dance and theater virtuoso from Senegal, who is the director of Bousso Dance Co. Lamine was a lead actor in the play “Mandela” performed at the National Black Theatre in Harlem, and appeared in “Amistad’ by Steven Spielberg.
Zeybrah is a nonprofit cultural organization that creates community arts projects and festivals and trains young artists.
For more information, visit www.zeybrah.org.