Fela Kuti remains Nigeria’s most famous musician. He pioneered Afrobeat – a genre-blending jazz, funk, psychedelic rock, traditional West African chant and rhythms – into conscious music in the 60s and 70s. Fela’s music continues to live today across the continents. Famous for pairing his music with politics and with human rights activism, Fela, who passed in 1997, stood against Nigeria’s military dictators, often at great personal cost to his family and band members. His art has become fuel for a new generation of creators who are tapping into his music, and the spirit behind it, to make new records.…

The sounds that were very much part of the creation of the real Johannesburg, South Africa, much of it in celebration of humanity and in opposition to apartheid, are again echoing through the inner city. The legendary Kippie Moeketsi’s saxophone and Jack Lerole’s pennywhistle sounds and the angelic voices of Sophie Mgcina, Mirriam Makeba, and Dolly Rathebe vocals provided solace and dignity to the thousands who were deemed but resisted being labeled non-citizens. The Jazz Pioneers provided the dance tunes, both at special venues and at occasions such as weddings. For black South Africans, jazz provided a blanket of dignity.…

Miriam Makeba’s famous song is being re-released with new lyrics about disease prevention By Nellie Peyton WASHINGTON, April 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The world-famous song "Pata Pata", a South African dance hit from 1967, is being re-released with new lyrics to spread information about coronavirus to vulnerable communities. Coronavirus: our latest stories Meaning "touch touch" in the Xhosa language, "Pata Pata" was written by Grammy-winning singer Miriam Makeba who named it after a dance move popular in Johannesburg at the time. The new version sung by Beninese artist Angelique Kidjo includes lyrics such as, "We need to keep our…

THE death of Algerian icon Idir has brought an important chapter of Algerian music to a close. HUGO HADJI Hugo Hadji, Doctoral Researcher in ethnomusicology, SOAS, University of London THE death of Algerian icon Idir has brought an important chapter of Algerian music to a close. Through his brilliant career, Idir modernised and promoted the richness of Kabyle melodies and poetry, popularised North African culture, and advocated for unity and tolerance both in Algeria and in France. Looking at Idir’s life in music is looking into Algeria’s relationship with its history and identity, but also questioning what it means to…

Matsuli Music has reissued Busi Mhlongo’s Urban Zulu masterpiece on vinyl for the first time, alongside Dudu Pukwana and the ‘Spears’ and Jump Uptight by the Zorro Five. LOYD GEDYE Whether a new album release is greeted with rave reviews or completely ignored, its full impact becomes visible only with time​, especially in the case of a career-defining album.​​ In 1998, when the record label Melt 2000 released Busi Mhlongo’s Urban Zulu, her second album,it was widely acclaimed, later winning three South African Music Awards and spending two months at the top of the Billboard world music charts. With a reissue of Urban Zulu about…

Unable to return to South Africa this winter, the dancer and choreographer created a dance piece for film, proving the power of creative expression and collaboration. UFRIEDA HO It’s raining in Vichy – five soggy, grey days and counting. This is Vincent Mantsoe’s French home nowadays. His thoughts, though, drift to his other home, to Soweto in winter, when the light cuts like a blade through the bluest of days. The dancer and choreographer was meant to be back in South Africa this April for a month-long tour, presenting his solo piece SoliiDaD and facilitating a workshop programme. Then the coronavirus slammed…

LERATO MBANGENI IF anything, the restrictions of quarantines and lockdowns around the world have shown us the levels of creativity and optimism that people can reach. With social media as a tool of distribution, people of all ages have come together as a community of the talented and bored to make works that make us smile or gasp in awe of their ingenuity. We’ve had the #NoRushChallenge where makeup lovers created transformation videos in the style of TikTok videos with quick transitions and punchy soundtracks. We also had people at home recreating famous paintings with whatever they could find in…

PHUTI SEPURU Lecturer, University of Pretoria BAMAKO, the fifth album from Simphiwe Dana, marks 16 years of her recording career. To the dismay of her fans, a few days prior to the album’s long-awaited release, the South African singer-songwriter announced that this would be her last. An iconic figure in the country’s cultural life, Dana hails from the Eastern Cape and is a singer, composer and producer. The largest part of her musical output is sung in her home language – isiXhosa, including her most loved songs such as Ndiredi, Zandisile, Bantu Biko Street and Ilolo. Dana’s voice is also…

By Lucy Durán Guinea is in mourning. Mory Kanté, who passed away from chronic health problems at 70, was one of Africa’s most influential and legendary artists of the late 20th century. He was best known for his 1987 dance hit Yéké Yéké, which sold over a million copies and continues to liven global dance floors in a myriad of remixes. No other musician from Guinea has reached international audiences on the level of Mory Kanté. Even though his recorded output would dwindle, his live performances remained superb – and for Guineans, he was, and will always be, a hero.…