Julian Marley to Make a Special Guest Appearance at Rhythms of Africa 2023 in South Florida

Embrace Music Foundation will deliver a festive blend of sights and sounds that have awed and delighted diverse audiences worldwide. Two concerts, April 1 and 2 at the Miramar Cultural Center, will salute the past while bringing it to life with Rhythms of Africa (ROA)– Music Around the World 2023. Experience the power of music & percussion with the Pan African/Caribbean rhythms of Reggae, Blues, Soca, Samba, Ska, Dance Hall, Calypso, Latin, New Orleans Jazz, Funk, R&B, Pop, Afro-Beats, and more.

“Reggae Ambassador” and Grammy-Award nominee Willie Stewart, former lead percussionist and co-director of the international group Third World, will demonstrate the transformative power of music, showcasing the talents of 25 musical novices from Everglades High School who have trained rigorously over the past couple of months. Their preparation includes sessions with professional musicians, singers, and dancers to provide context to the music and additional on-stage excitement to captivate audiences and bring them to their feet.

“People who watch these kids during the workshops see their incredible development, so that in no time at all when the performance comes around, their whole lives have changed for the better,” Willie Stewart notes. “Music is the soul of humanity, the universal language, timeless and eternal — shouldn’t it be central to our children’s lives? It’s all about the music. It’s all about the children.”

ROA 2023 will also feature a special guest appearance by Julian Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley, a living link to the history and evolution of contemporary African/Caribbean rhythms.

Rhythms of Africa is a musical journey that describes the movement of ancient rhythms from the souls of vibrant cultures carried by hand and heart from Africa to the Caribbean, South America, and the New World. It is the rhythms of the Diaspora, seasoned by time, cultivated, and rooted by generations of pilgrims.

Hosted by Mayor Wayne Messam, the return to Miramar Cultural Center pays tribute to Rhythms of Africa’s inaugural concert at the then-new venue ten years ago. It also celebrates Third World’s (TWB) 50th Anniversary, highlighting the TWB journey from 1976 to 1997, “Love Will Always Be There Concert,” taken from the song Willie Stewart co-wrote for Third World. A cameo guest artist will accompany professional artists, dancers, and musicians while showcasing the newfound musical percussion talent of Everglades High School.

The program is a presentation of Embrace Music Foundation, in partnership with the City of Miramar, a Broward-based non-profit corporation with a mission to restore, preserve, and fortify the impact of music — education, appreciation, and performance — in schools and communities and to amplify its role in the development of children and families.

The Florida Department of Cultural Affairs has provided support for this program over the years, Broward County Cultural Division, the Jamaica Tourist Board, EnPro Industries, Tropical Financial Credit Union, Funding Arts Broward, BBX Business For the Arts of Broward, The McFarlane Firm, Reese Vision Care, Hot off the Grill, and many private individuals and local businesses that share the organization’s mission and goals.

The event will be held on Saturday April 1, 2023, at 6pm and Sunday April 2, 2023, at 7pm at Miramar Cultural Center, 2400 Civic Center Place, Miramar, Florida

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