Arts + Culture
Paul Simon went looking for South African sounds in 1985. He found Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the isicathamiya choir founded by Joseph Shabalala, reached a global audience through Paul Simon's 1986…
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
Afrobeat or Afrobeats? One letter separates Fela’s revolution from Burna Boy’s stadium tours
Afrobeat is the style Fela Kuti and Tony Allen built in Lagos in the late 1960s and 1970s.…
Arts + Culture
Tabu Ley Rochereau took Congolese rumba to the Paris Olympia in 1970. He later served in government
Tabu Ley Rochereau, one of the great voices of Congolese rumba, performed at the Olympia in Paris in…
Arts + Culture
He named his music after a mountain in Japan. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister and the birth of fuji
Sikiru Ayinde Barrister built fuji music from the were songs sung to wake Muslims for the Ramadan meal,…
Arts + Culture
“Jailer” was a Nigerian song about freedom that France fell for first: Asa’s 2007 debut
Asa, born Bukola Elemide, released her self-titled debut album in 2007 on the French label Naïve. Produced mainly…
Arts + Culture
The Doctor of Hypertension: Osita Osadebe and “Osondi Owendi”, the record Nigerians still call their biggest seller
Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe released "Osondi Owendi" in 1984. It became one of the biggest-selling records in Nigerian…
Arts + Culture
“Coupé Bibamba” came out in 1998. Almost three decades later, no West African wedding is complete without it
Congolese singer Awilo Longomba released the album Coupé Bibamba in 1998. Its title track, a fast soukous dance…
Arts + Culture
“Khona” brought Mafikizolo back and swept South Africa’s awards. It is still a wedding favourite
Mafikizolo released "Khona" featuring Uhuru on 10 January 2013 as the lead single from their comeback album Reunited.…
Arts + Culture
They met at an institute for the blind in Bamako. Amadou & Mariam took Malian music around the world
Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind and became the duo known…
Arts + Culture
Papa Wemba collapsed on stage in Abidjan in 2016. The King of Rumba Rock had been performing for nearly fifty years
On 24 April 2016, Congolese star Papa Wemba collapsed on stage at the FEMUA festival in Abidjan and…