Arts + Culture
The Grammy winner who preferred his farm: Ali Farka Touré, Ry Cooder and the desert blues
Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder's Talking Timbuktu won the Grammy for Best World Music Album. Touré then…
Arts + Culture
Dive into a world of boundless creativity and diverse perspectives with our Arts + Culture corner. Explore the latest in visual arts, literature, and cultural trends
Arts + Culture
Time magazine called her the Madonna of the Townships. Brenda Fassie and “Weekend Special”
Brenda Fassie was 19 when "Weekend Special" made her a star in 1983. She became South Africa's biggest…
Arts + Culture
67 albums, one voice, and a song that made Zimbabwe talk about HIV: Oliver Mtukudzi
Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi recorded 67 albums in a career of four decades. His song "Todii", sung in Shona…
Arts + Culture
“7 Seconds” spent 16 weeks at number one in France. Its singer later became Senegal’s minister of culture
In 1994, Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry released "7 Seconds", sung in Wolof, English and French. It spent…
Arts + Culture
King Sunny Adé turned 80 last week. In 1983 he became the first Nigerian ever nominated for a Grammy
King Sunny Adé, the king of juju music, turned 80 on 22 September 2026. In 1982 Island Records…
Arts + Culture
Four West Africans and three Caribbeans in 1969 London: how Osibisa took Afro-rock into the British charts
Osibisa formed in London in 1969, led by Ghanaian saxophonist Teddy Osei. Their 1971 debut album reached number…
Arts + Culture
The night Louis Armstrong jammed with the King of Highlife in Accra
In 1956, Louis Armstrong came to the Gold Coast on his African tour and ended up playing with…
Arts + Culture
South Africa cancelled Miriam Makeba’s passport when she tried to bury her mother. She spent 31 years in exile
In 1960, the apartheid government revoked Miriam Makeba's passport when she tried to return home for her mother's…
Arts + Culture
An exiled South African trumpeter had America’s number one song in 1968. The story of “Grazing in the Grass”
In July 1968, Hugh Masekela's instrumental "Grazing in the Grass" went to number one on the Billboard Hot…
Arts + Culture
Five Grammys, four in one category: Angélique Kidjo’s record in global music
Angélique Kidjo has won five Grammy Awards, four of them for Best Global Music Album, more than any…