Wandering troubadours from Burkina Faso to perform in June at Jämaja Church on Saaremaa

Festival Orient will bring the ensemble Burkina Azza from West African country Burkina Faso to Saaremaa's Jämaja Church on 19 June. The musicians will perform songs from their homeland using rare instruments. The concert will take place in the historic Jämaja Church, which is Estonia's most seaward church.

Festival Orient takes a special step on 19 June by bringing a quartet of wandering troubadours from Burkina Faso to Saaremaa. Musicians from the West African country will perform in the historic Jämaja Church, located at the southern tip of Saaremaa and known as Estonia's most seaward church.

The ensemble Burkina Azza was discovered by the festival organisers quite by chance while travelling through remote and difficult-to-access regions of Africa. The group performs songs from their homeland and plays instruments that Estonian audiences have never heard or seen before. This is a rare opportunity to experience authentic West African musical tradition firsthand.

Jämaja Church provides a unique setting for the concert; the original church building was constructed there in the 13th century, and the structure visible today took its current form in the 19th century. The church is located farther from the heart of Estonia and closer to the sea than any other church in the country, creating a particularly atmospheric venue for receiving African music.