Bien-Aimé Baraza, best known as a member of the award-winning group Sauti Sol and now a solo star, has been confirmed as part of the lineup for Afro Nation Portugal 2026.
Scheduled for July 3–5, 2026 at Praia da Rocha Beach in Portimão, Algarve, the festival is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans from across the globe.
Bien joins a powerhouse roster that already includes Wizkid, Asake, Tyla, Mariah The Scientist, Young Jonn, Darkoo, and Awilo Longomba, among others.
His addition marks a milestone for East African music, which has historically been underrepresented on international festival stages dominated by West African Afrobeats and South African Amapiano.
Afro Nation is widely recognized as the world’s biggest Afrobeats festival. First held in 2019 on the beaches of Portugal’s Algarve coast, it was created by Smade (Adesegun Adeosun Jr.), Obi Asika, and BBC Radio 1Xtra’s DJ Target.
Their vision was to spotlight African music and its diasporic sounds — Afrobeats, Amapiano, Dancehall, R&B, Hip Hop — in a festival setting as glamorous and influential as Coachella or Glastonbury.
From the start, Afro Nation was different. By choosing Portugal’s Praia da Rocha Beach as its home, the founders created a festival that feels like both a holiday and a cultural reunion.
Attendees experience live performances under the sun and stars, surrounded by Afrocentric fashion, food, and art. It is as much a statement of identity as it is a music event.
The debut festival in 2019 set the tone with Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, and Buju Banton headlining. Its success was immediate, with fans flying in from the UK, the U.S., Africa, and the Caribbean.
Since then, Afro Nation has expanded to Ghana, Puerto Rico, Miami, and Detroit, tapping into different corners of the African diaspora.
The Ghana edition in December 2019 coincided with the country’s Year of Return campaign, drawing global attention. Yet Portugal remains the flagship, consistently drawing the biggest crowds and most star-studded lineups.
Afro Nation’s strength lies in its music curation. The lineups blend Afrobeats superstars with Amapiano innovators, dancehall legends, and R&B and hip hop crossovers.
Recent years have seen Chris Brown, Megan Thee Stallion, Burna Boy, Tyla, and Davido share the stage with newer voices like Ayra Starr, Uncle Waffles, and Darkoo.
Afro Nation is often described as a cultural homecoming for the African diaspora. Fans from Lagos, London, New York, Nairobi, and Johannesburg gather, creating a unique atmosphere of shared heritage.
Fashion plays a major role — from Ankara prints to streetwear — making the festival a runway of Black and African creativity. Food vendors serve African and Caribbean dishes, while art installations and pop-up markets celebrate diaspora culture.
The festival has become a meeting place for Africans and their descendants worldwide, where music provides the soundtrack to conversations about identity and belonging.