Arts + Culture
Exiled from Soweto, she became the voice of Roots: Letta Mbulu
South African singer Letta Mbulu toured with the musical King Kong as a teenager and left for the…
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
Highlife, lovers rock and soukous in one voice: Kojo Antwi, Ghana’s Mr Music Man
Kojo Antwi, born Julius Kojo Antwi in Accra on 24 November 1959 and raised in Darkuman, released his…
Arts + Culture
A laboratory scientist who became the king of palm wine guitar: Koo Nimo
Koo Nimo, born Kwabena Boa-Amponsem on 3 October 1934 in Foase in the Ashanti Region, is the leading…
Arts + Culture
Six Grammy nominations and a new Shrine: Femi Kuti’s decades out of his father’s shadow
Femi Kuti, Fela's eldest son, formed his band Positive Force in 1986 and opened the New Afrika Shrine…
Arts + Culture
Kose Kose, Iron Boy and the Apollo High Kings: Amakye Dede, the highlife king of the 1980s and 1990s
Amakye Dede, born on 5 January 1958 and known as Iron Boy, formed his band the Apollo High…
Arts + Culture
Talazo 84 turbo-charged fuji: King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, KWAM 1, and four decades at the top
King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, known as KWAM 1 or K1 De Ultimate, was born on 3 March 1957…
Arts + Culture
Her first album sold over a million copies: Salawa Abeni, the Queen of Waka music
Salawa Abeni, from Ijebu Waterside in Ogun State, released her debut album, Late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed, in…
Arts + Culture
A law student, a young beatmaker and a record that set the standard for hiplife: Obrafour’s Pae Mu Ka
Pae Mu Ka, the debut album by Ghanaian rapper Obrafour, was released in November 1999, produced by Hammer…
Arts + Culture
Ebo Taylor made his first international album at 74 and died at 90: the Saltpond guitarist who bridged highlife and Afrobeat
Ebo Taylor, the Ghanaian guitarist, composer and arranger who blended highlife with Afrobeat, was born on 6 January…
Arts + Culture
Dead at 32 on the road to a show: Cardinal Rex Lawson, “Sawale” and the highlife of the 1960s
Cardinal Rex Jim Lawson, born in Buguma in present-day Rivers State on 4 March 1938, was one of…