Monthly and annual Dancehall Reggae events in Helsinki:
Dancehall Saturdaze & Tropical Saturday monthly
New Year's Eve Black & White (December)
Helsinki Reggae Festival (August)
Reggae Snowsplash (February)
Jamaica Independence Day street party (August)
One Love Finland - International celebration of Finland's Independence (December)
Champion's Night (June)
About the promoters:
FATHER FRANCIS
F
rancis Erharuyi is one of the most consistent and respected event producers in Helsinki. He was born in Nigeria but has been living and working in Finland for nearly 30 years, since the 1980’s. He produces various kinds of events, but his love for reggae music shines in his work for the culture. Francis is the sole promoter and producer of the largest annual reggae events in Finland: Helsinki Reggae Festival, which is staged for the 21. He has promoted a massive amount of live concerts by Jamaican artists and bands in Finland, including Sizzla, Shaggy, Jimmy Cliff, Israel Vibration, Culture, Dennis Brown, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs and so many more, too many to mention. Fada Francis as he is called, is also the head of his own sound system called Lion Head, and has been hosting weekly dancehall reggae parties in Helsinki for about 20 years, including classic clubs like Punky Reggae Party and Shocking Vybz. The work he has put in for the reggae culture in Finland is priceless, and he is highly appreciated and respected in the community. RIINA ASAMOA:
If Francis is the “father” of the reggae community in Finland, the “don muma” as the local Jamaicans call her, is Riina. She started out as the first dancehall selecta (dj) in Finland as a teenager in the early 90’s. Her understanding of the music and culture grew since her first stay in Jamaica in 1992, where she was “adopted” into a local family and where she still spends time regularly in winter times. Returning to Finland after living in NYC for a few years in the mid-90’s, she continued selecting until in 2004 she produced a big charity concert for Jamaica at Tavastia, when hurricane Ivan had caused a lot of destruction on the island. Soon after she founded the Fi-Reggae association, which she was the president of from 2004 to 2008, also managing Fi-Reggae All Stars, a band consisting of the best reggae artists and musicians in Finland. Together with Francis and Bommitommi she produced the national Sound Clash events in Helsinki, and leaving selecting to the growing number of sound systems in Finland, got more into the production side of the culture. Working as a booking agent and promoter for Jamaican and local artists, sounds and events, she has booked and/or promoted shows in Finland with such artists and sounds as Assassin, Buju Banton, Tanya Stephens,The Congos, Jah Mason, RDX, Coppershot etc. Being a big fan of the dancing part of the culture, in 2009 she founded Dancehall Saturdaze, a monthly club supporting the dance in dancehall, which still runs as the only 100% dancehall club in Helsinki. Riina has always enjoyed sharing the love of her life, Jamaica and it’s culture, so as well as promoting dancehall in Finland she organizes and guides trips to shows and festivals in Europe and annual cultural travel to Jamaica. Her motto is “Heart clean, mind pure”, and she encourages respect and professionalism within the international dancehall family.
