NO OFFENCE George, but when it comes to talent, Africa has got Britain licked.

Because quite simply the circus adventure Afrika! Afrika! is an absolutely unique experience.

Walking into a colossal tented bazaar festooned with glimmering lanterns, rustic carpets and giant chandeliers created from household waste, it is hard to believe this colourful world has been constructed in a car park outside Manchester’s Trafford Centre.

But when you are sitting on cushions in the softly lit Café Africain sipping Amarula Cream or sampling Chakalaka South African vegetable ragout with curried meatballs in the Masai Mara restaurant, the home of John Lewis seems a very long way away.

As for the show itself – there aren’t enough superlatives to do it justice.

Based on Austrian artist André Heller’s idea and choreographed by African dance expert Georges Momboye, Afrika! Afrika! showcases the continent’s incredible talent.

Pounding drums and beguiling rhythms from an orchestra perched above the stage accompany a whirlwind of Senegalese, South African, Guinean and Ivorian dancers, their lithe, toned bodies and vivid costumes sparking into life a mesmerising two and a half hours.

The levels of strength, technique, timing and control demonstrated by the variety of contortionists and acrobats on display see the audience erupt with rapturous applause during and after each phenomenal chapter.

From human pyramids stacked four men high which tumble into cartwheels to a Matinique strappado expert suspended from ribbons 30 ft above the audience, these are highly dangerous acts requiring sublime skill and precision.

But it is the stories told by acts such as basketball players bouncing to a hip-hop beat on monocycles that ensure that entertainment, in its purest form, is the prevailing principle.

Afrika! Afrika! runs until September 6. Do not miss it.