Mac McKenzie (1951-2024) took Cape Town’s unique carnival sounds and added punk.
© Paul Darné
The composer, bassist and innovator Gerald ‘Mac’ McKenzie died on 29 April. He changed Cape Town’s unique music traditions forever.
Mujahid Safodien/AFP/Getty Image
The report reveals that musicians are earning what mechanics are, but without formal benefits or the security of steady work.
Tutu Puoane’s Wrapped in Rhythm features words by poet Lebo Mashile.
© Tom Vandewalle
Wrapped in Rhythm powerfully uses the poems of Lebo Mashile as lyrics.
Pianist Maurice El Medioni performing on stage.
Photo by Andy Sheppard/Redferns
Listening to El Medioni’s work is a deep dive into the history of north African Jews over the last 150 years, long pre-dating his birth.
South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim in 2014.
Andy Sheppard/Redferns/Getty Images
In his work Abdullah Ibrahim looks to the past to offer a vision of the future.
Miriam Makeba was the first African to win a Grammy, but only when she partnered with a US star, Harry Belafonte.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
African artists with major US industry support have the advantage - now more than ever.
Kora star Ballaké Sissoko at the sacred place of Sanementereng in The Gambia.
Screengrab/Ballaké Sissoko: Kora Tales/Vimeo
The extraordinary documentary Ballaké Sissoko: Kora Tales takes a journey from Mali to The Gambia.
Tsonga-inspired musician and writer Maya Wegerif AKA Sho Madjozi in Johannesburg.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100
Costume, hair and dance allow her to modernise Tsonga culture – and help shape youth identity.
Axmed Naaji (left) performs in London, where he lived in exile in the later part of his life.
Screengrab/YouTube/Kayd Somali Arts and Culture
For six decades he was a household name in urban Somalia.
Sylvia Mdunyelwa in Langa township in 2023.
Screengrab/YouTube/Scene It
Not just a great jazz singer, Sylvia Mdunyelwa was also an activist, educator, broadcaster and actress.
Winky D’s hit Ibotso has seen him removed from stage by police.
Screengrab/Happy Again/winkyonline
In his music, he positions himself within the people’s struggles and identifies with them.
Davido has gone back to work after the death of his young son.
Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
The album doesn’t live up to the hype - but features some decent collaborations.
Gloria Bosman in 2022.
Oupa Bopape/Gallo Images via Getty Images
If you ever found yourself in the same room with Gloria Bosman, you were in for a lesson of a lifetime.
Bosman won numerous awards, including the Standard Bank Young Artist award and two South African Music Awards.
Oupa Bopape/Gallo Images/Getty Images
Her passing shocked the nation and drew praise for her unique vocal powers and musical mentorship.
Wizkid performs at London’s O2 Arena in 2021.
Michael Tubi/Alamy Stock Photo
People’s Democratic Party candidate Atiku Abubakar released a choreographed video to Davido’s Stand Strong, which references devotion. It’s his sixth time standing for president.
The Zangalewa Dance Troupe, inspired by the Cameroonian band Zangalewa, performs in a prison in Kenya.
Screengrab/YouTube/Mwalimu Cheche Productions
His band Zangalewa satirised Cameroon’s military from within - and helped create the football World Cup hit Waka Waka.
Angelique Kidjo on stage in Paris in 2021.
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Kidjo has a remarkable cultural vision that spans the globe but stays true to her roots.
Stella Chiweshe, performing in Amsterdam in 1988, kept ancient traditions alive.
Frans Schellekens/Redferns via Getty Images
She paved the way for women to play the mbira – and then took the ancient tradition global.
Madosini performing in Johannesburg in 2021.
Oupa Bopape/Gallo Images via Getty Images
The queen of Xhosa music has passed away. She reinvigorated ancient Xhosa cultural traditions through performance and teaching.
Cesária Évora on stage in the new documentary by Ana Sofia Fonseca.
Courtesy Cesária Évora film/Encounters
On in South Africa at the Encounters film festival, the documentary is an intimate portrait of the great artist.