Africa Is a Country

Acoustic Guitar Break

Africa Is a Country Podcast
African Five-a-Side Podcast

Acoustic Guitar Break

By
Sean Jacobs

We thought it would be nice to compile a Bonus Music Break centered on acoustic guitar music. First up is Toronto-based Ghanaian Kae Sun with “Lion on a Leash”:

Another Ghanaian: Kesse (made his breakthrough on Ghana’s version of American Idol) was profiled by The Fader last year:

Then there’s German-Nigerian Ayo:

And video of a 23 minute live set by Asa, France-based Nigerian (credits: “Fire on the Mountain,” “Mr Jailer,”), recorded in San Francisco:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II668alI00g

Bez, the young Nigerian (remember him?) will be in New York City next week (Society HAE has the details)

You can’t say acoustic guitar music and not include Michael Kiwanuka, Ugandan-born British crooner. He is a big part of our regular Twitter #musicbreaks.

Stateside, there’s Cody ChesnuT. (BTW, while below he slows things down, I’ve seen him crank it up with The Legendary Roots Crew):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTuj3jYehtE

And Gary Clarke Jnr with a stripped down version of my favorite tunes (remember him?)

Further Reading

Africa and the AI race

At summits and in speeches, African leaders promise to harness AI for development. But without investment in power, connectivity, and people, the continent risks replaying old failures in new code.

After the uprising

Years into Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict, the rebellion faces internal fractures, waning support, and military pressure—raising the question of what future, if any, lies ahead for Ambazonian aspirations.

In search of Saadia

Who was Saadia, and why has she been forgotten? A search for one woman’s story opens up bigger questions about race, migration, belonging, and the gaps history leaves behind.

Binti, revisited

More than two decades after its release, Lady Jaydee’s debut album still resonates—offering a window into Tanzanian pop, gender politics, and the sound of a generation coming into its own.

The bones beneath our feet

A powerful new documentary follows Evelyn Wanjugu Kimathi’s personal and political journey to recover her father’s remains—and to reckon with Kenya’s unfinished struggle for land, justice, and historical memory.

What comes after liberation?

In this wide-ranging conversation, the freedom fighter and former Constitutional Court justice Albie Sachs reflects on law, liberation, and the unfinished work of building a just South Africa.

The cost of care

In Africa’s migration economy, women’s labor fuels households abroad while their own needs are sidelined at home. What does freedom look like when care itself becomes a form of exile?

The memory keepers

A new documentary follows two women’s mission to decolonize Nairobi’s libraries, revealing how good intentions collide with bureaucracy, donor politics, and the ghosts of colonialism.

Making films against amnesia

The director of the Oscar-nominated film ‘Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat’ reflects on imperial violence, corporate warfare, and how cinema can disrupt the official record—and help us remember differently.