The composer, bassist and innovator Gerald ‘Mac’ McKenzie died on 29 April. He changed Cape Town’s unique music traditions forever.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on African music
Displaying 1 - 20 of 69 articles
Combining elements of traditional and modern music has created rhythms that are unique to Senegalese music.
Wrapped in Rhythm powerfully uses the poems of Lebo Mashile as lyrics.
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.
In his work Abdullah Ibrahim looks to the past to offer a vision of the future.
African artists with major US industry support have the advantage - now more than ever.
The extraordinary documentary Ballaké Sissoko: Kora Tales takes a journey from Mali to The Gambia.
Costume, hair and dance allow her to modernise Tsonga culture – and help shape youth identity.
For six decades he was a household name in urban Somalia.
Musicians established themselves in the US, where they continued to practice their cultural life, which flourished.
In his music, he positions himself within the people’s struggles and identifies with them.
The album doesn’t live up to the hype - but features some decent collaborations.
The annual South African Amapiano Awards will be held on 2 April, a tribute to the growing stature of the dance music genre.
If you ever found yourself in the same room with Gloria Bosman, you were in for a lesson of a lifetime.
Her passing shocked the nation and drew praise for her unique vocal powers and musical mentorship.
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.
His band Zangalewa satirised Cameroon’s military from within - and helped create the football World Cup hit Waka Waka.
A cold-blooded shooting is a common trope in gangsta rap - but a disturbing new development in South African hip-hop.
Dhamaal music and dance reveals a rich and complex mixing of cultures that is shaped by history.
Kidjo has a remarkable cultural vision that spans the globe but stays true to her roots.
Top contributors
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Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities in Africa, University of Cape Town
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Associate of the Gordon Institute for Business Science, University of Pretoria
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Professor of music, SOAS, University of London
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Lecturer in Musicology, University of South Africa
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Professor Emeritus, Social Anthropology, University of the Witwatersrand
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Senior Lecturer, South African College of Music, University of Cape Town
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Professor of Music, Wesleyan University
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Artist in Residency, University of Pretoria
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Fellow, King's College London
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Extraordinary Professor, Stellenbosch University
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Senior Lecturer, Stellenbosch University
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Lecturer, Makerere University
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Lecturer, University of Fort Hare
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G. Gordon Watts Professor of Music and Professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
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Professor of World Music, University of Connecticut
