Arts + Culture
The golden rhinoceros of Mapungubwe: a small treasure from a lost African kingdom
The golden rhinoceros, found in a royal grave on Mapungubwe Hill in South Africa in 1933, is a…
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Arts + Culture
Korhogo cloth: the painted Senufo textiles of northern Côte d’Ivoire
Korhogo cloth comes from the Senufo region of northern Côte d'Ivoire. Hand-woven cotton strips are sewn together and…
Arts + Culture
Gerard Sekoto: the South African painter of township life who died in Paris
Gerard Sekoto, born in 1913, painted vivid scenes of township life in Sophiatown and District Six in the…
Arts + Culture
Ibrahim El-Salahi: the Sudanese modernist who wove Arabic script into African art
Ibrahim El-Salahi, born in Sudan in 1930, became a pioneer of African modernism, combining Arabic calligraphy, Islamic and…
Music
Spokes Mashiyane and kwela: the pennywhistle music of 1950s South Africa
Kwela, a lively style played on the cheap tin pennywhistle, filled South Africa's townships and streets in the…
Music
Nass El Ghiwane: the Moroccan band once called the Rolling Stones of Africa
Nass El Ghiwane formed in Casablanca in the early 1970s and transformed Moroccan popular music with songs drawing…
Music
Ray Phiri: the Stimela guitarist who played on Paul Simon’s Graceland
Ray Phiri, born in Mpumalanga, led the South African band Stimela and became one of the country's most…
Music
Eric Wainaina and Nchi ya Kitu Kidogo: the song that called out Kenya’s bribe culture
Kenyan singer-songwriter Eric Wainaina released Nchi ya Kitu Kidogo in 2001, a song about the small bribes demanded…
Music
Ballaké Sissoko: the Malian kora master of quiet conversations
Ballaké Sissoko, a Malian kora player from a griot family, is known for subtle, intimate music. His duets…
News
AFRIMA: the All Africa Music Awards backed by the African Union
The All Africa Music Awards, known as AFRIMA, were launched in 2014 in partnership with the African Union…