Africa Is a Country

Friday Bonus Music Break, N°13

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

Friday Bonus Music Break, N°13

By
Tom Devriendt

Tchobari duo shot the video for ‘Quem Mandou? (Me Nascer)’ in Catambor, Luanda “to show a different side of our city”.

Ben Sharpa & Pure Solid were touring in Europe last month (I missed them — bad scheduling), and also flew by Réunion recently, doing some radio appearances while there. Which reminded me we hadn’t shared Sharpa’s latest ‘Heroes’:

Sharpa and Pure Solid share a stable with Driemanskap. Nice to see the latter making waves recently, and being quoted as an inspiration for the video (H/T Ts’eliso) of Lesotho-based Dunamis’s ‘Destiny’:

We never wrote about how it took the release of a Shangaan compilation album by a London label before some South African music critics took note of the genre’s existence; but that doesn’t mean we don’t dance to it:

Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu played their take on Simon’s Graceland classic Live at Blue Note Milano earlier this year:

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

Always dependable Togolese-American Tabi Bonney releases a soccer/football themed video, alongside his dad!:

Since M.anifest came up with Y.O.L.A. (You only love Azonto!), here’s a mad one by Keche:

http://youtu.be/7W3XWP6s2-8

And finally, Sarkodie, Appietus and Kesse go on an Azonto fiesta for the weekend. If you’re in NY come celebrate here or here tonight!:

http://youtu.be/4_OYtBixrWI

Further Reading

Repoliticizing a generation

Thirty-eight years after Thomas Sankara’s assassination, the struggle for justice and self-determination endures—from stalled archives and unfulfilled verdicts to new calls for pan-African renewal and a 21st-century anti-imperialist front.

Drip is temporary

The apparel brand Drip was meant to prove that South Africa’s townships could inspire global style. Instead, it revealed how easily black success stories are consumed and undone by the contradictions of neoliberal aspiration.

Energy for whom?

Behind the fanfare of the Africa Climate Summit, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline shows how neocolonial extraction still drives Africa’s energy future.

The sound of revolt

On his third album, Afro-Portuguese artist Scúru Fitchádu fuses ancestral wisdom with urban revolt, turning memory and militancy into a soundtrack for resistance.

O som da revolta

No seu terceiro álbum, o artista afro-português Scúru Fitchádu funde a sabedoria ancestral com a revolta urbana, transformando memória e militância em uma trilha sonora para a resistência.

Biya forever

As Cameroon nears its presidential elections, a disintegrated opposition paves the way for the world’s oldest leader to claim a fresh mandate.

From Cornell to conscience

Hounded out of the United States for his pro-Palestine activism, Momodou Taal insists that the struggle is global, drawing strength from Malcolm X, faith, and solidarity across borders.