In recent years, Cambridge’s live-music scene has suffered considerably as venues such as the Junction close for the summer months and the Boat Race has closed down. The loss of Café Afrika would result in a significant move towards cultural homogenisation in the town and would deprive local musicians, especially younger musicians, of one of last few venues willing to host them. Café Afrika offers a welcoming space for younger people, who can participate in workshops, look at exhibitions put on by local artists or just hang out listening to music, outside of an overwhelmingly commercialised environment. For those who cannot afford, or are too young, to go out to any of the overpriced venues which dominate the scene in Cambridge, Café Afrika provides an open, culturally-enriching environment.

In the logic of those who have complained about Café Afrika and its clients, surely the removal of the public entertainments licence at Cafe Afrika will lead to more and more disaffected children and youths in the area, who with nothing better to do, will be left to roam the streets on a Friday night leading to exactly the kind of `anti-social behaviour' which people are scared of.

Another Cambridge resident, JR , also makes the point succinctly:

The Cafe has provided an invaluable asset to Cambridge, providing a space for local artists to display their work, running work shops for children and adults of all ages, providing an outlet for local musicians, both young and old as well as bringing a culturally diverse range of music to Cambridge. As an example of some of the benifits which the Cafe has brought to the area, this Thursday the Cafe was going to host a charity concert to raise money for combatting the spread of Polio in Nigeria... This event will now no longer take place as a direct result of the non-renewal of the public entertainments licence... A centre which brings together under one roof the truely diverse nature of those living and working in Cambridge can only be a good thing. A platform and voice for those living here both young and old, the Cafe has already benefitted hundreds of people living in and around Cambridge.

You can write to Café Afrika in support and please pop in to sign the petition. You can also write to the chair of the Licence commitee: Councillor Jennifer Liddle and tell her why you think Cafe Afrika should keep its licence. The date of the appeal is not known yet, but as soon as it is announced we will put up a notice on Indymedia Cambridge.

Help keep cultural diversity and alternative music alive in Cambridge!