Four out of seven. The following Saturday, Rototom Sunsplash festival will be in the middle of its 28th edition with a unanimous plea in defense of the planet in several of its extra-musical areas. The voice of Soy Tribu, the youtuber who documents native tribes on his motorcycle, will be projected at Pachamama, while the Social Forum will host the renowned botanist Francis Hallé. Moreover, Magicomundo, the space dedicated to children and families, will host environmentally conscious artistic activities.
All this takes place on a day that musically, it comes back with a lot of weight; with a sonorous journey that goes from the rural Jamaican tradition of Inna De Yard to the hip hop connections of the Grammy Kabaka Pyramid and L’Entourloop.
4:00 p.m. In the marquee of the Social Forum, and in collaboration with Pachamama, the session ‘Soy Tribu, viajar como despertar de la conciencia’ (I am Tribe, traveling as an awakening of consciousness) starts. The voice of Agustín Ostos, the soul of Soy Tribu, bursts in to talk about the need to take care of the Earth, and to know and respect its multiple forms of life. Soy Tribu is a project that documents native and contemporary tribes through a motorcycle trip around the world,“to show the different faces of this planet through the faces of those who inhabit it” Behind this project is Agustín Ostos, who one day decided to change his toga for a motorcycle. He set out on the road of life to open a digital window giving voice to unknown people carrying messages of peace, conscience and wisdom. He has more than 4.8 million followers on his social networks. From 2017 to 2023, he has traveled 88,000 kilometers across 19 countries, visited 94 tribes and documented 1001 stories.
As a matter of fact, Agustín’s first motorcycle trip was to Rototom Sunsplash, to which he now returns to close this circle and share his new challenge: to travel, from 2023 to 2025, up to 11 countries in Central America and North America, from Panama to Alaska.
Still at the Social Forum, but at 6 p.m., ‘When the climate disobeys us’ will be on the agenda. A debate about the climate crisis as a backdrop raises a question: can we stop an unsustainable capitalist culture that puts the planet in a tight spot? While scientists and students demonstrate in the streets, there are those who try to change the system from within, inspired by the beauty of the branches and the power of the roots. Francis Hallé, a botanist specializing in trees and tropical forests and an international reference in his field, will speak about it. Known for the expedition Radeau des cimes (1986), in which he explored the canopy of the world’s forests with the help of a hot air balloon, transforming the knowledge about plants into its arboreal form. This tree planter says “to take care of the future”, and as passionate about nature, he assures that understanding the plant kingdom requires an “intellectual revolution” and today, more than ever, “it is an emergency”.
He will be sharing the table with Hallé activist Maite Mompó. She is ambassador for Protectors of the Earth, director of the European campaign ‘Stop Ecocide‘ in Spain, and coordinator for the Americas. It is an initiative that seeks to recognize ecocide as the fifth universal crime under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The discussion will be moderated by the journalist María José Parejo, director and radio host of ‘El bosque habitado’, a Spanish national radio.
Magicomundo also joins the message of environmental awareness with the Workshop ‘We are all Romalda’ and the puppet creation workshop ‘The earth counts’, which both begin at 4.30 pm.
The first is an artistic proposal by Ciutat Feliç. It is a conceptual work starring a giant 22-meter-long whale that not only aims to raise awareness, but also to go a step further and invite action to walk together towards the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals and towards a real social transformation.
All these activities fit with the green philosophy of Rototom, a plastic-free festival since 2019, and this summer has reinforced its recycling actions. For the first time, in the camping area have been instelled 35 portable bins and 27 recycling points with plastic, cardboard, glass and MSW (Municipal solid waste). In addition, to further promote recycling, these recycling points will be very attractive visually and with unified messages for the international public.
From Jamaica to the world
On the musical side, the Main Stage will premiere (8:00 p.m.) with the Jamaican rural tradition of Inna De Yarda project that brings together veterans of the Jamaican scene with younger artists and musicians from the Caribbean island in the name of acoustic sounds that lead directly to the essence of the songs. The rhythm is played by the sacred drums of Nyabinghi de Rasta, together with the scattered sounds of acoustic guitars and other instruments take the audience straight to the heart of many reggae classics performed in this unique way. On stage, some reggae legends such as Keith & Tex, Cedric Myton, Kiddus I and Winston McAnuff perform songs from their latest masterpiece, ‘Family Affair’.
Queen Omega will take over (9.45 p.m.). Directly from Trinidad and Tobago, he is one of the richest voices of the world reggae scene, who bursts into Benicàssim together with The Royals Souls.
Third highlight of the evening on the Main Stage: Kabaka Pyramid. He won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album of 2022 for ‘The Kalling’, produced by Damian Marley. He is the ultimate consecration for the man considered one of the greatest Jamaican artists of his generation. Like other of his contemporaries, Kabaka has left an important musical mark on other artists by listening to american hip hop leaders. Kababa’s poetics joins with his vindictive instances of reggae roots and the great charge of dancehall. The uniqueness of this artist lies in his ability to write beautiful lyrics with great naturalness and a unique approach. He will go on stage at 23.00 hours.
An hour and a half later, the energy of the French L’Entourloop will follow. Together for more than ten years, both dj’s and producers King James and Sir Johnny have created an evocative mix of deejay, dancehall and hip hop culture, recording in their productions the featuring of dozens and dozens of great vocalists from different backgrounds and growing from success to success. His latest triumph is his latest album ‘La Clartè Dans La Confusion’ released in June 2022.
The Lion Stage will host Drop Collective (8.45pm); the rappers Las Ninyas del Corro from Catalonia (10.15pm); the Argentine-Colombian cumbia, ska and punk band Che Sudaka (midnight), and the Argentine roots reggae band Nonpalidece (2.15am).
On the Dancehall stage highlights the presence of the young Lady Lykez, an emerging force on the British scene whose rap runs to rhythms ranging from dancehall, UK funky, afrobeat and amapiano. On the other hand, the Dub Academy welcomes Stand High Patrol from the north of France, who have contributed in recent years to breathe new creative life into the European dub scene. On the basis of teachings of Jamaican musical culture, they have enriched their sessions by drawing inspiration from the worlds of electronica and hip hop. They will be joined in their performance by English singer and producer Joe Yorke.
The Voodoo Club will take the reins of the evening on the Jamkunda Stage, while the Jumping Stage will welcome La Tropicalera, Jim Morrisound and Nonai Sound.
