Music
Them Mushrooms and “Jambo Bwana”: the Kenyan hotel-band song every tourist knows
Them Mushrooms, a Kenyan band from the Mombasa coast, recorded "Jambo Bwana" in 1982. The Swahili song, with…
Music
immerse yourself in a symphony of genres, from the latest chart-toppers to hidden indie gems. Gospel, HipHop, Highlife, Amapiano, Afrobeats
Music
Boubacar Traoré: the Malian guitarist who disappeared for twenty years and came back
Boubacar Traoré, known as Kar Kar, was a star in Mali in the early 1960s, when his songs…
Music
Ayọ: the German-Nigerian singer whose “Down on My Knees” became a European hit
Ayọ, born Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin in Germany to a Nigerian father and a Romani mother, released her debut…
Music
Jose Chameleone: the Ugandan star who ruled East African music for two decades
Jose Chameleone, born Joseph Mayanja in Kampala in 1979, became one of East Africa's biggest music stars after…
Arts + Culture
Shaku shaku: the Lagos street dance that shaped Nigerian pop in 2017 and 2018
Shaku shaku, a dance from the streets of Lagos, took over Nigerian music in 2017 and 2018. Its…
Arts + Culture
Azonto: the Accra dance craze that spread across the world in 2011 and 2012
Azonto, a dance from Accra built on mimed everyday actions, became an international craze in 2011 and 2012.…
Arts + Culture
Sarafina!: the Soweto uprising musical that took South African township theatre to Broadway
Sarafina!, created by Mbongeni Ngema, tells the story of students in the 1976 Soweto uprising through mbaqanga music…
Music
Kiki Gyan: Osibisa’s teenage keyboard prodigy and “24 Hours in a Disco”
Kiki Gyan joined the Afro-rock band Osibisa as a teenager in the 1970s and became one of Africa's…
Music
Rachid Taha: the Algerian rocker behind “Ya Rayah” and the Clash cover “Rock el Casbah”
Rachid Taha, born in Algeria in 1958 and raised in France, mixed North African music with punk and…
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…