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
immerse yourself in a symphony of genres, from the latest chart-toppers to hidden indie gems. Gospel, HipHop, Highlife, Amapiano, Afrobeats
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…
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…
Music
Zaïko Langa Langa: the 1969 Kinshasa student band that reshaped Congolese rumba
Zaïko Langa Langa was founded in Kinshasa in December 1969 by young musicians who gave Congolese rumba a…
Arts + Culture
Benga: the Kenyan guitar sound built on the Luo nyatiti, and its champion D.O. Misiani
Benga, Kenya's best-known popular music, grew from Luo musicians adapting the rhythms of the nyatiti lyre to electric…
Music
Simphiwe Dana: the Transkei singer hailed as the new Miriam Makeba
Simphiwe Dana, born in 1980 in the former Transkei, released her debut Zandisile in 2004. Its mix of…
Music
Haruna Ishola: the father of apala who kept Western instruments out of his music
Haruna Ishola, widely regarded as the father of apala, began recording around 1955 and became one of Nigeria's…
Music
I.K. Dairo: the juju star who brought the accordion to Yoruba music and got an MBE
I.K. Dairo, born around 1930, is often called the father of juju. He introduced the accordion and harmonica…