February is usually synonymised with Valentine’s Day but in Africa, February is also synonymised with top annual festivals that attract travellers from around the world. Here are a few notes on what there is to love, in addition to Valentine’s Day…

The Bioscope Independent Cinema and Shorts TV will be hosting the annual 2020 Oscar Nominated Short Films Festival from 07- 25 February 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here cinema junkies can enjoy exclusive screenings of top international shorts from different genres before and after the Oscar Awards Ceremony on 09 February. Browse the schedules and get booking for your fill of cinematic art.

Diasporans in London, the United Kingdom who just so happen to be photography enthusiasts can enjoy In Conversation: Silvia Rosi and Zak Ove. The Togolaise/Italian Photographer, Silvia Rosi, will discuss her commission for the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards 2020 on 17 February 2020. The collection will be exhibited from 15 January- 07 March 2020.

Sauti za Busara, one of the world’s most highly-rated music festivals, will be kicking off from 13-16 February 2020. A total of 44 shows will light up their three stages in a total of four days. The 400+ musicians, representing 13+ African nations will produce the live tunes that fans from around the world have been trekking to Zanzibar, Tanzania to indulge in for the past 17 years. This year, African passport holders are being treated to a 50% discount to festival tickets, giving us all fewer reasons to not be there.

SzB2020 Festival Line-up Sauti za Busara festival brings people together to celebrate African music under African skies. The 17th edition takes place in Sto...

The 5th West African Kizomba Festival will pulse through Accra, Ghana from 27 February to 01 March 2020. The biggest West African Kizomba Festival will be your chance to join top dancers from the region in bouts of kizomba, semba, afro-house and salsa.

FESTIMA, or the International Festival of the Masks and the Arts, is a said to be the largest international art and mask festival in the world. The week-long, bi-annual celebration purposed to preserve traditional West African cultures will draw troupes from Burkina Faso, Benin, Ivory Coast, Mali, Nigeria, Togo and Senegal to Dedougou, Burkina Faso from 29 February to 07 March 2020.

A glimpse of Silvia Rosi’s installation at the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards 2020. The collection will be on exhibit till 07 March 2020.

Do enjoy the above and more. Afrophilia wishes you a month filled with love.