Summer is here, and you know what that means: African Summer at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. I don't know when this began, but I'm glad to see it's a reoccurring Cedar feature. We'll try and cover at least one or two shows.

As usual, the Cedar does a great job putting together the lineup, showcasing some of the best current African musicians, schedule as follows:

06/15 M.anifest 06/26 Femi Kuti & the Positive Force 06/28 Amadou & Mariam 07/09 Vieux Farka Touré 07/10 Fendika 07/26 Chicago Afrobeat Project

About these musicians:

M.anifest won "Best Rapper" and "Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year" at the Ghana Music Award, so expect him to do that song ("Makaa Maka") this Saturday. Interesting note: I believe he's currently based in Minneapolis.

If the name Femi Kuti sound familiar, it's because he's the eldest son (as opposed to the young son Seun Kuti) of Fela Kuti.

Amadou & Mariam are a real life blind couple; they met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind. The two now perform together as a duo.

Vieux Farka Touré - see feature below.

Fendika is an Ethiopian collective, featuring six performers (including two dedicated dancers).

If you think six is large, how about 7 to 14 in Chicago Afrobeat Project? The Cedar emphasized that the upcoming performance will also feature master drummer Tony Allen.

Read More Vieux Farka Touré About twenty minutes into the concert Israeli musician, Idan Raichel explained to the audience how he and Malian guitar virtuoso, Vieux Farka Touré, came to be on the stage of The Dakota … VIEUX FARKA TOURE vieuxfarkatoure.com

Vieux Farka Touré's most recent album, Mon Pays (My Country) was recorded in tribute to his homeland Mali. He wants to remind everyone of the wonderful culture and beauty that Mali is known. The ongoing fighting between Islamic rebels and the Tuareg is not what Vieux Farka Touré' wants the world to remember of his country of origin.

Mon Pays represents the acoustic blues tradition of Mali. He has made this record to preserve Mali's culture. Vieux Farka Touré' is one most thrilling artists to come out of Mali.

North American tour starts this week:

06/14/13 @ Outside At The Research Park 06/15/13 @ Takin’ It to the Streets 06/16/13 @ Great Hudson River Revival 06/19/13 @ Dirty Bourbon, Albuquerque, NM 06/20/13 @ Arroyo Seco Live, Arroyo Seco, NM 06/21/13 @ eTown Hall, Boulder, CO 06/23/13 @ Performance Works, Vancouver 06/24/13 @ Sugar Nightclub, Victoria, Canada 06/25/13 @ Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA 06/26/13 @ Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA 06/27/13 @ The Wild Buffalo, Bellingham, WA 06/28/13 @ Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR 06/30/13 @ Harbourfront Centre, Toronto 07/01/13 @ Zaphod Beeblebrox, Ottawa, Canada 07/03/13 @ Club Soda, Montreal, Canada 07/05/13 @ Iron Horse, Northampton, MA 07/06/13 @ Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT 07/09/13 @ Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN 07/10/13 @ Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA 07/11/13 @ La Fete de Marquette, Madison, WI 07/13/13 @ Yoshis, San Francisco, CA 07/12/13 @ Levitt Pavilion, Pasadena, CA 07/14/13 @ California WorldFest, Grass Valley, CA 08/02/13 @ Pickathon, Happy Valley, OR 08/03/13 @ Pickathon, Happy Valley, OR 08/04/13 @ Crestone Music Festival, Crestone 08/06/13 @ Walnut Room, Denver, CO 08/07/13 @ JAS Cafe , Aspen, CO

TD SUNFEST sunfest.on.ca

The TD Sunfest is taking place this July 4-7, 2013, at London, Ontario, in Canada. The festival highlight Africa's reggae icon Alpha Blondy and Malian vocalist Fatoumata Diawara, as two of the headliners.

The festival is so big that it has "mini-festivals" within Sunfest, including a showcase dedicated to the world’s burgeoning Afrofunk and soul scenes (Anthony Joseph & the Spasm Band; Sekoya Revisited and The Heavyweights Brass Band).

2013 Line Up

July 4, 2013: Boogat, Briga, Calypso Rose, Drumhand, Fatoumata Diawara, Genticorum, Los Vega Son Jarocho, Palo Cruzao, Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica, Sacha Williamson, Samba Squad, Silk Road

July 5, 2013: Baterimba, Boogat, Briga, Calypso Rose, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Custodio Castelo, Drumhand, Fatoumata Diawara, Los Vega Son Jarocho, Genticorum, Palo Cruzao, Quique Escamilla, Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica, Sacha Williamson, Samba Squad, Silk Road

July 6, 2013: Amina Figarova Sextet, Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band, Baterimba, Briga, Calypso Rose, Chico Trujillo, Custodio Castelo, Drumhand, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Five Alarm Funk, Genticorum, Hasna El Becharia, Heavyweights Brass Band, Hurlevent, Kleztory, Lazo, Music Machine with Ramone Valle, Palo Cruzao, Patricia Cano, Quique Escamilla, Remi Panossian Trio, Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica, Rommel Ribeiro, Sekoya Revisited, Sonia Johnson, The Lula All-Stars, Traeben

July 7, 2013: Alpha Blondy, Amina Figarova Sextet, Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band,Baterimba, Boogat, Briga, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Chico Trujillo, Custodio Castelo, Drumhand, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Five Alarm Funk, Genticorum, Hasna El Becharia, Heavyweights Brass Band, Hurlevent, Kleztory, Laura Fernandez, Lazo, Los Vega Son Jarocho, Music Machine with Ramone Valle, Palo Cruzao, Patricia Cano, Quique Escamilla, Remi Panossian Trio, Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica, Rommel Ribeiro, Sekoya Revisited, The Lula All-Stars

I SING FOR FREEDOM baruch.cuny.edu

"I Sing for Freedom" is a sort of Broadway show, presented by Eric Krebs, running every Monday from June 17 to August 19 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York. The show was conceived and directed by Thuli Dumakude, who brings Southern church gospel and traditional South African Township songs sung in Zulu. All the singing will be handled by Thokoza, an a cappella collective consisting of five older South African and African American.

Performances are on Mondays at 7:00 PM at the Arts Center, located at 55 Lexington Avenue . Tickets are $20, details on baruch.cuny.edu.

Trivia: Thokoza, which means "celebration" in Zulu.