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…
talking drum
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…
Arts + Culture
The atumpan: how Asante’s talking drums speak Twi
The atumpan are a pair of Asante talking drums, one higher and one lower in pitch, that reproduce…