The sounds of African music and the taste of its food are being featured in a festival called "Africa in Basel - Basel in Africa" which runs until Sunday. More than 20 Swiss and African groups are participating.

The goal of the festival is to bridge a cultural and social North-South gap by focusing on African and Swiss customs.

Throughout the week, concerts, workshops, dance and theatre performances and discussions will bring images of the far-off continent closer to landlocked Switzerland.

On Tuesday, in one of the festival highlights, prominent authors, philosophers, politicians and African journalists will debate Africa's future.

During the weekend of September 1, an open-air concert is scheduled, along with a variety of other events. An African market will be held, and African food will be sold at stalls set up at Basel.'s Theaterplatz.

The Basel cinema 'Stadtkino' will feature African films during the festival, and afterwards.

The film "Gold and Banks", which shows how the Swiss have coped with its history in South Africa, will be screened on September 5. A discussion of the film is also scheduled.

The Swiss-African festival was staged in Gundeli last year for the first time.

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