Arts + Culture
The Benin Bronzes: looted in 1897, scattered worldwide, slowly coming home
In February 1897, British forces attacked Benin City and looted thousands of brass, ivory and wood artworks from…
Afro Yard
Afro Yard Entertainment is a vibrant and dynamic entertainment company that focuses on sharing captivating stories and promoting exceptional talent across all African countries. Our mission is to celebrate the rich cultural heritage and diversity of Africa through various media platforms, including music, movies, arts, and content creation.
Arts + Culture
Fantasy coffins: how Teshie carpenters turned funerals into sculpture
In Teshie, near Accra, carpenters build coffins shaped like fish, cars, aeroplanes and cocoa pods. The Ga tradition…
Arts + Culture
Guitar bands and dance bands: the two branches of Ghanaian highlife
Ghanaian highlife developed along two main paths: dance bands with horns that played for elites in ballrooms, and…
Music
Sungura: the guitar music of Zimbabwe’s buses, beer halls and Alick Macheso
Sungura, Zimbabwe's most popular dance music, is built on fast interlocking guitars and a busy bass. Stars such…
Music
Bongo Flava: how Tanzanian hip-hop became East Africa’s biggest pop sound
Bongo Flava grew in Dar es Salaam in the 1990s as young Tanzanians rapped and sang in Swahili…
Music
Sam Fan Thomas and “African Typic Collection”: the makossa hit that crossed Africa
Cameroonian guitarist and singer Sam Fan Thomas released "African Typic Collection" in 1984. Its blend of makossa and…
Arts + Culture
Nok terracottas: the ancient Nigerian sculptures found by tin miners
The Nok culture of central Nigeria produced some of the oldest known figurative sculpture in sub-Saharan Africa, terracotta…
Arts + Culture
Asafo flags: the Fante war banners that turned proverbs into appliqué art
Fante Asafo companies, traditional military groups of Ghana's Central Region, carry bold appliqué flags that illustrate proverbs and…
Music
Hailu Mergia: the Ethiopian keyboard star who became a Washington taxi driver
Hailu Mergia played keyboards with Ethiopia's Walias Band in the 1970s. After a 1981 US tour, he stayed…
Music
S.E. Rogie: the Sierra Leone tailor whose palm wine guitar reached the world
S.E. Rogie, born in 1926 in Sierra Leone, was a self-taught guitarist who ran a tailor's shop before…