GUITAFRIKA

In addition to showcasing different guitar-playing styles in the continent, the three musicians are at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival to celebrate the history and role of guitars in African music. The guitar is a western European instrument that easily became integrated into African culture. The long-necked and fretted instrument’s ability to produce sounds similar to tonal languages of the continent is one reason why Africans took to the guitar as if it was their own. The guitar’s portability also suited the nomadic lifestyles of early Africans. Relatively cheap, the guitar quickly became the substitute of indigenous plucked instruments. Guitafrika will demonstrate this heritage by performing together music from different backgrounds. - cape town international jazz festival

THREE African guitarists rocked the Cape Town International Jazz Festival last week and they will do it again in at the Durban Alliance Française Gallery tonight.
They go by the name Guitafrika and are made up of South African Steve Newman, Mauritian Eric Triton and Niger’s own Alhousseini Mohamed Anivolla. Left-handed upside-down player Triton tells tales of Mauritius. Anivolla is known for blues and his string instruments speaks of nomadic life. From his time with Tananas until now, Steve Newman has continued to wow audiences with his guitar skills...
If your strings have never been pulled, in an exciting way at least, then this is the gig for you with the African guitar maestros doing what they do best. - IOL

While we’re familiar with the Nigerian guitarist Alhousseini Mohamed Anivolla in South Africa, Mauritian Eric Triton was a revelation. The lefty plays his guitar upside down and the way he incorporates swing and funk into his playing made the Guitarafrika trio a magical experience. Triton’s take on the blues was a sweaty, dirty affair, and Steve Newman gave back as good as he got. All three used intricate and non-standard fingering techniques and advance publicity around Triton would have been welcome. ( Theresa Smith ) - IOL

Guitafrika with guitarists Steve Newman (SA), Eric Triton (Mauritius) and Alhousseini Mohamed Anivolla (Niger) shared quite an impressive conversation, in between layers of blues, deep desert-dry sounds and sensual Creole Zouk... ( Emily Gambade - Daily Maverick ) - Daily Maverick

Guitafrika is a three-man guitar tag team of sorts with string influences from South Africa, Niger and Mauritius. Steve Newman, Alhousseini Mohammed Anivola and Eric Triton (respectively) were nothing less than impressive. ( Laura Walubengo ) - Capital Lifestyle

Guitafrika: A perfect African threesome ( Mwenda wa Wicheni ):
When Guitafrika performed inside Moses Molelekwa auditorium at the Cape Town Conference Centre last weekend, it was a sweet, harmonious serving created from one of the musical experiments of these times. A rare collaboration of African artists, Guitafrika brings three different sounds into one with amazing results.
Guitars in Africa : Anivolla belongs to one of the most celebrated Nigerien musical bands Etran Finataw. Over his music career, he has displayed different styles of playing the guitar that leave a wailing sound similar to the desert wind that blows across Niger.From the other side of Africa, in Mauritius, comes Triton, who incorporates several other musical influences into his guitar sounds, plus his sound vocals. This, heard against Newman's antics that include using the body of the guitar as a musical instrument, yields pure freshness.But that was not all. With the act at the Cape town International Jazz festival last weekend, the trio was also showcasing the long history of the guitar as a musical instrument in Africa. ( African Review - Daily Nation)
- Africa Review