Welcome to our review blogs for Festival of Lies. Read the reviews below, click on the Comments button to read the comments of others and post your own thoughts.

When the Belgians created the prison they called the Congo, they gave it sort of half a national anthem, using the same melody as the Belgian anthem, but with new words, to the effect that Africans give thanks to King Leopold for bringing civilization. Then Mobutu gave it an anthem and Kabila and others too, one after another the soundtrack for the modern tragedy of Central Africa, which we hear in "Festival of Lies" as part of the score for a reenactment of this tragedy in dance, an art form not often given to such subjects.

Check out this press review on Seattlest: Out of Africa: Festival of Lies at On the Boards "As a soukous band plays and the audience noshes on couscous, red rice, and chicken, all doused with a hearty amount of spicy peanut sauce, a man sways to the music while carrying a fluorescent light to the center of the floor.

I have to be honest. When I first read that Faustin Linyekula was to turn On the Boards into an African  “social club and soukous party," the first image that came to mind was Disney World’s international village. I pictured a faux African nightclub where vacationer’s were encouraged to dance and spend money. Upon arrival I found the stage had indeed been transformed and the audience was encouraged to dance and spend money.

Tune in to John Kertzer's African music show The Best Ambiance tonight at 7pm for a live interview with Faustin. You can listen on your radio dial at 90.3 FM or on-line at kexp.org. The show will be available in the KEXP streaming archive for two weeks, so if you missed the live broadcast, you can still listen to it on-line. Posted by Tania