PUHOS 🤍 PEOPLE 2023

PUHOS SHOPPING CENTRE, EAST-HELSINKI 5/08/23

Who We Are

Puhos Loves People 2023 is an outdoor cultural festival for the whole family. The event takes place on Saturday 5th of August 2023 from 2 pm to 10 pm at Puhos shopping centre, located in Itäkeskus area of Helsinki, Finland. The Puhos mall is a spontaneously developed meeting place and a vibrant entrepreneurial hub with cafes, restaurant and shops, gathering people from diverse backgrounds. Puhos Loves People brings together music and other cultural programme designed collaboratively by the communities from Puhos and Eastern Helsinki. The event is free of charge and alcohol-free. The festival has been organised since 2017.

Programme

View festival map.

Programme

Venue: Puhos Stage

Meera & The Band play traditional, modern, and, above all, danceable Middle Eastern music! Their diverse repertoire includes a wide range of Arabic, Persian, and Kurdish music from the Levant, Iraq, Iran, and the Maghreb. Comprised of professional musicians, the band performs with skill, joy, and emotion, masterfully playing both traditional and modern instruments.

Venue: Puhos Stage

Yung So is one of the artists on Chase Records, focusing on r&b-based melodic rap. His music conveys strong emotions and stories that are cleverly intertwined with catchy melodies.

Ole is a talented artist from the Chase Records whose music focuses on concise and raw rap. Ole carries the listener along to the beat of the song as rhyming, pacing and lyricism take over the songs expression. His rap is full of energy and intensity, and he has the ability to create word art that sinks deep into the listener’s soul.

Venue: Puhos Stage

Kingfish, who has become an icon of the Finnish rap scene, is a pioneer of his time. In the summer of 2015, he released the song TONNI, and the rest is history! Kingfish’s unique sound and energetic live performances have been celebrated all over Finland, even on the grandest stages.

Venue: Puhos Stage

Nisa brings a new and fresh sound to the domestic R&B scene that is internationally benchmarked. Debut single Ride Or Die holistically showcases the core of Nisa’s artistry, where her luminous vocals, relatable lyrics and modern R&B productions blend elegantly together.

Venue: Puhos Stage

Somali singer Awale Adan will make his Finnish entrance at Puhos Loves People 2023 Festival. For the first time we will host one of the most exciting contemporary Somali artists! As a musician, a cultural mover, he transcends Somali traditions and transforms them into contemporary, catchy and danceable music.

Venue: Puhos Stage

Yeboyah is a Helsinki-based artist, social influencer, and future trendsetter who began her solo career in 2017 with the single Broflake. Her 2019 EP Elovena and her 2021 debut album Butterfly Effect earned Yeboyah numerous Emma nominations, and her impressive live show has been featured at all major festivals.

Venue: Puhos Stage

Hassan Maikal is a captivating rap and r’n’b artist with a stunning vocal delivery, whose debut album Betonitarha was released in May 2021. The album, which included the singles Lonely and Crazy, garnered widespread praise and four Emma nominations.

DJ Classic’s playlist consists of rhythm-driven tracks in the genres of Afrobeats, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Dancehall.

@djclassic250

DJ Didi plays groovy Amapiano, which energises everyone and gets them dancing!

@_dieudone

Venue: Staircase on Puhos´ Stoa Square side
 

KAS! Kontula Art School is a community art school project in East Helsinki focusing on public art and street art. In Puhos Loves People 2023 festival, under the guidance of KAS! community artist Heidi Hänninen, the participants will create a multilingual mural featuring a collection of favorite words from the people of Puhos. You are welcome to join and paint the mural from 2:00 to 6:00 pm.

 
Venue: Puhos Circle Courtyard
 

The dance group Willka performs traditional Peruvian dance.

 
Venue: Puhos Circle Courtyard
 
Welcome to see this year’s Puhos Fashion Show and its fabulous fashion designers.

The Fashion Show features top designers from African backgrounds in Finland, such as Mauro Severino, Malaika Mollel, Esengo, and Agar Mamer.

The event is produced by Angela Musse.

The clothes designed by the show’s designers can be purchased at the Fashion Corner located within the festival.

Venue: Puhos Circle Courtyard
 
Welcome to see this year’s Puhos Fashion Show and its fabulous fashion designers.

The Fashion Show features top designers from African backgrounds in Finland, such as Mauro Severino, Malaika Mollel, Esengo, and Agar Mamer.

The event is produced by Angela Musse.

The clothes designed by the show’s designers can be purchased at the Fashion Corner located within the festival.

Venue: Stoa Stage

Faso Kani’s irresistibly captivating music combines West African storytelling tradition, griot music, and African-American rhythm.

 

Venue: Stoa Stage

Let the enchanting Latin and Arabic melodies of Ramithawi, accompanied by Jani Lehtioksa’s percussions and Javi Sánchez’s bass, transport you to a realm of groove, emotion, and pure wonder.

Volver Al Mar 

Volver al Mar will ignite your imagination with their fresh and personal perspective, inviting you to embrace self-expression and love freely.

Prepare for a captivating journey where music and art intertwine, leaving an indelible mark on your heart and soul.

 

Venue:  Stoa Garden

The POC reading circle is participating in the Puhos Loves People festival with a book tip stand, together with the Stoa library.

The book tip stand will be located in Stoa Square from 14:00 to 16:00.

Come and pick up a book recommendation on children’s, young adult, or adult literature and borrow a book written by a POC author!

The POC Reading Circle is a literary project by Aracelis Correa and Téri Zambrano. The primary aim of the POC Reading Circle is to increase the visibility of POC authors’ works and to provide peer support and better representation for POC readers in Finland. You can find the POC Reading Circle on Instagram and Tiktok as @poc_reading_circle. The project also has its own website www.poc-lukupiiri.fi.

Venue: Stoa 2nd floor

Rasoul Khorram’s photographic exhibition tells the story of peace flowers in Kurdistan and Finland.

Following his mother’s words, Khorram captures the essence of her sentiment: ‘If you wish to show appreciation for another person in life, plant a flower for them.’ The boy’s perspective resonates – a world adorned with flowers rather than guns. Khorram captures his mother in her homeland of Kurdistan, within the bounds of the Cherry City. His intention is to employ flowers as a unifying bridge between nations.

In Finland, he has spread the message of peace across several cities through the symbol of sunflowers. A poignant planting ceremony graced the forecourt of the Parliament House in the presence of the Minister of Education. Additionally, in cooperation with the city’s artists, sunflowers were sown in Kotka.

The projects have yielded numerous heartwarming narratives. Rasoul elaborates, recounting a profoundly touching instance: “Among the most poignant moments was when a Finnish mother, having read a newspaper article about my project, penned a letter expressing, ‘Your story with your mother deeply moved me; it exudes solace and beauty. Your mother should indeed be proud of such an exceptional son. Consequently, I thought to send her the card I crafted.'”

Born in 1980 in Iran-Kurdistan, Rasoul Khorram is a photographer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker ardently dedicated to fostering intercultural comprehension. 

 

Venue: Stoa Garden

Come to play basketball with Yökoris!

Awesome weather, DJ & basketball = the best summer nights ever. Pull up to hoop and play with us or just enjoy the vibes. Take your friends with you, see you at the court! 

 

View festival map.

Artists

Hassan Maikal is a captivating rap and r'n'b artist with a stunning vocal delivery, whose debut album Betonitarha was released in May 2021. The album, which included the singles Lonely and Crazy, garnered widespread praise and four Emma nominations.
Yeboyah is a Helsinki-based artist, social influencer, and future trendsetter, who´s 2019 EP Elovena and 2021 debut album Butterfly Effect earned Yeboyah numerous Emma nominations. The artist´s impressive live show has been featured at all major festivals.
Nisa brings a new and fresh sound to the domestic R&B scene that is internationally benchmarked. Debut single Ride Or Die holistically showcases the core of Nisa's artistry, where Nisa´s luminous vocals, relatable lyrics and modern R&B productions blend elegantly together.
Kingfish, who has become an icon of the Finnish rap scene, is a pioneer of his time. In the summer of 2015, he released the song TONNI, and the rest is history! Kingfish's unique sound and energetic live performances have been celebrated all over Finland, even on the grandest stages.
Yung So and Ole are both artists on Chase Records. Yung So's r&b-based melodic rap evokes strong emotions with cleverly woven stories and catchy melodies. Ole's concise and raw rap energises listeners, captivating them with his rhythmic rhymes and profound lyricism.
The captivating Latin and Arabic melodies of Ramithawi, accompanied by Jani Lehtioksa on percussions and Javi Sánchez on bass, take you on a journey of groove, emotion, and wonder. Volver al Mar sparks your imagination with unique and heartfelt expression, embracing free expression and love.
Faso Kani's irresistibly captivating music combines West African storytelling tradition, griot music, and African-American rhythm.
Meera & The Band play traditional, modern, and, above all, danceable Middle Eastern music! Their diverse repertoire includes a wide range of Arabic, Persian, and Kurdish music from the Levant, Iraq, Iran, and the Maghreb.
First time in Finland, Awale Adan, one of the most exciting contemporary Somali artists, is a musician and cultural mover, transcending Somali traditions and transforming them into contemporary, catchy, and danceable music.
DJ Classic's playlist consists of rhythm-driven tracks in the genres of Afrobeats, Hip-Hop, R&B, and Dancehall. @djclassic250
Puhos Fashion Show features top designers from African backgrounds in Finland, such as: Mauro Severino, Malaika Mollel, Esengo, and Agar Mamer. The event is produced by Angela Musse.
DJ Didi plays groovy Amapiano, which energises everyone and gets them dancing! @_dieudone
The Food District of the festival will feature delicacies from Somali, Congolese, Polish, Bangladeshi, and Turkish Kurdish cuisines.
The POC reading circle is participating in the Puhos Loves People festival with a book tip stand (2-4 pm), together with the Stoa library. Come and pick up a book recommendation on children's, young adult, or adult literature and borrow a book written by a POC author!
Come to play basketball with Yökoris! Awesome weather, DJ & basketball = the best summer nights ever. Pull up to hoop and play with us or just enjoy the vibes. Take your friends with you, see you at the court!
The Fashion Corner sells clothes from the festival's fashion show designers.
The dance group Willka performs traditional Peruvian dance.
KAS! Kontula Art School is a community art school project in East Helsinki focusing on public- and street art. In Puhos Loves People 2023 festival, under the guidance of KAS! community artist Heidi Hänninen, the participants will create a multilingual mural featuring a collection of favorite words from the people of Puhos.

Organisers

Puhos Loves People 2023 festival is organised by the organisations Meh, Bado, Afabi, and Funky Amigos. The event has been kindly supported by the City of Helsinki, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Moniheli, and sponsored by Melmar LLC, Wiser Group oy, and Qdigital Solutions oy. Thank you to Cultural Centre Stoa and Job’d.

Contact

Address

Puhos shopping centre, Part-A, Kastelholmantie 2, FIN-00900 Helsinki

Phone

+358468895896

Email

info(at)puhoslovespeople.fi