by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Every year, Nuits d'Afrique climaxes with a frenzied weekend of free stuff at Place Émilie-Gamelin, right by Berri metro. "The Village," as it's called, features concerts, dancers, percussion workshops, make-up stands and other kiddie activities, a market bursting with treats and trinkets, Afro-snacks and of course the "Coup de Coeur," the big outdoor closing show. This year, it's the Congo-meets-Cuba rumba riot of Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, on Sunday, July 24 at 9:30 p.m. But that's just one of the great acts to catch - here are some more.

Moto de Kapia

Vivid displays of traditional African dance and costume are of course a mainstay at Nuits d'Afrique, especially during the "Village" weekend. But Quebec-based Congolese performer Moto de Kapia makes a point of standing out from the pack. Dynamic dancing, loaded with sexiness and humour, is Moto's modus operandi, in full leopard-skin Congolese regalia no less. He takes it a step (pardon the pun) further, though, by clowning around and incorporating nutty parlour tricks - you try dancing with a cup of water balanced on your head or a bicycle wheel between your teeth! Friday, July 22, 5:30 p.m.

Ismaël Isaac

Isaac was born Issiaka Diakité in the teeming Treichville neighbourhood of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The passing of Bob Marley in '81 cemented his sense of reggae's importance in Africa, but it was the arrival of fellow Treichviller Seydou Koné - better known these days as Alpha Blondy! - that inspired young Isaac to start makin' like a Jamaican. Not that Isaac's brand of reggae is pure imitation - singing in Mandinka, Malenké, Bambara, Dioula and French, Isaac adds a West African inflection to his musical message of traditional values meeting modernity. Friday, July 22, 8 p.m.

Kaleta

Born Leon Ligan-Majek in Benin, and living in NYC these days, the masked marvel called Kaleta (the name literally means "masked musician") is nonetheless associated with two particular Nigerian giants - no less than his highness King Sunny Ade and the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti, both of whom included Kaleta in their bands. Singer, guitarist, percussionist, producer - and in his spare time, real-estate appraiser! - the multifaceted man of mystery might mask his identity, but there's no hiding the vivacious grooves woven into his blend of highlife, juju, R&B and a touch of rock. Saturday, July 23, 8 p.m.

K-Tino

Thanks to Manu Dibango, the makossa sound is the one that gets associated, internationally, with Cameroon. Thing is, since the late '80s, the quick, pelvis-pumping bikutsi style has been ascendant there, and with it singer K-Tino. For some reason, uptight fussbudgets have been accusing her of being obscene and lascivious. Okay, granted, she does have songs called "Action 69," "Viagra," "Ascenceur" and "Casse Bambou." But as she said in a 2000 interview, "Saying my music is obscene is saying that the Ewondo language is obscene." In other words, deal with it, sex-o-phobes. Sunday, July 24, 4:20 p.m.

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