Music
Dorothy Masuka: the Zimbabwean-born singer whose songs were banned by apartheid
Dorothy Masuka, born in Bulawayo in 1935, became a star in 1950s Johannesburg with songs in Zulu, Ndebele…
Music
immerse yourself in a symphony of genres, from the latest chart-toppers to hidden indie gems. Gospel, HipHop, Highlife, Amapiano, Afrobeats
Music
Mamman Shata: the Hausa singer whose praise songs and kalangu drums filled northern Nigeria
Alhaji Mamman Shata of Katsina was the most celebrated Hausa singer of the twentieth century. Accompanied by kalangu…
Music
Bella Bellow: the Togolese voice who died at 28 at the height of her fame
Bella Bellow was the first Togolese singer to win international fame, admired across Africa and in France in…
Music
Papa Wendo Kolosoy: the father of Congolese rumba and the song Marie-Louise
Antoine Wendo Kolosoy, known as Papa Wendo, recorded Marie-Louise in 1948, one of the first great hits of…
Music
Pepe Kalle: the Elephant of Zaire and his band Empire Bakuba
Pepe Kalle, a towering Congolese singer known as the Elephant of Zaire, led Empire Bakuba to fame in…
Music
Festival au Désert: the Malian music festival in the Sahara that went into exile
The Festival au Désert, launched in Mali in 2001, brought Tuareg, Malian and international musicians to the dunes…
Music
Maskandi: the Zulu guitar music born on the road between village and mine
Maskandi is a Zulu guitar music that grew among migrant workers travelling between rural KwaZulu-Natal and the mines…
Music
Abdel Halim Hafez: the Dark Nightingale whose voice and films defined Egypt’s golden age
Abdel Halim Hafez, born in 1929 in the Nile Delta, became one of the most beloved singers in…
Music
Tshala Muana: the queen of mutuashi who carried Luba rhythms from Kasai to the world
Tshala Muana, born in Lubumbashi in 1958, became famous as the queen of mutuashi, a dance rhythm of…
Music
Ernesto Djédjé: the Ivorian creator of ziglibithy who died at the peak of his fame
Ernesto Djédjé fused the rhythms of the Bété people with funk and Congolese guitar to create ziglibithy, the…