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…
Music
immerse yourself in a symphony of genres, from the latest chart-toppers to hidden indie gems. Gospel, HipHop, Highlife, Amapiano, Afrobeats
Music
AfroFuture: the Accra December festival formerly known as Afrochella
Afrochella, launched in Accra in 2017, became one of the biggest events of Ghana's December season, drawing diaspora…
Arts + Culture
The djembe: how a Mande drum became one of the world’s most popular instruments
The djembe, a goblet-shaped drum from the Mande world of West Africa, is played with bare hands and…
Arts + Culture
The balafon: the West African xylophone and the legendary Sosso Bala
The balafon, a wooden xylophone with gourd resonators, is one of the oldest instruments of the Mande world.…
Music
Kollington Ayinla: the fuji star whose rivalry with Barrister defined a genre
General Kollington Ayinla, one of the pioneers of fuji music, became famous in the 1970s and 1980s for…
Music
Super Rail Band: the Bamako railway hotel band that launched Salif Keita and Mory Kanté
The Rail Band, formed in 1970 at the station hotel in Bamako, mixed Mande griot music with Cuban,…
Music
The Grammy for Best African Music Performance: how African pop got its own category
In 2023, the Recording Academy announced a new Grammy category, Best African Music Performance. At the first presentation…
Music
Made Kuti: Fela’s grandson and the third generation of Afrobeat
Made Kuti, son of Femi Kuti and grandson of Fela Kuti, released his debut album For(e)ward in 2021…
Music
Waldemar Bastos: the Angolan singer of exile and longing
Waldemar Bastos, born in Angola in 1954, left his homeland in 1982 during the civil war. His 1998…
Music
Freshlyground and “Waka Waka”: the South African band on the 2010 World Cup anthem
Freshlyground, a multiracial band from Cape Town, performed with Shakira on "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", the…