I am beaming on the inside (and outside), having freshly returned from the outstanding Sauti za Busara Festival (translates to “Sounds of Wisdom”) held in the atmospheric Old Fort of Stone Town, under the star-filled skies, which means I have crossed off one of the things to do before I die off my list. Save [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘music’
5 July, 2009
House of the Holy Afro
© Arts Project Australia
This avant-garde ‘temple of the modern African groove’ is a South African music production by Third World Bunfight featuring DJ Dino Moran, which has been on tour and soon heading to London’s Rich Mix theatre (5th – 8th August 2009) caught my eye as I am interested in the transition from [...]
19 April, 2009
Kenya::Fashion for Peace
The Festival for African Fashion and Arts (FAFA) was born out of a tragedy; the post-election blood spillage that took a grip on Kenya in December 2007 / January 2008. Despite this, FAFA takes a positive approach to building the future, whilst honouring the need to heal the wounds of the past which continue to haunt [...]
4 April, 2009
Afro-Peruvian Sounds
I recently heard about the Peruvian band Novalima through the BBC World Service, which made sitting in Nairobi’s infamous bumper-to-bumper traffic, I daresay, a pleasant experience. Novalima do not claim African ancestry, however, they have an appreciation and hold great value of the sounds and rhythms exported to Latin America by African slaves brought over [...]
25 November, 2008
Things That Make You Go Hmm…Exhibit B
I’m back! Thanks for checking back in.
I thought it would be good to come back with some lively afrobeat from the inimitable Black President.
Food for thought that traverses many layers:
GENTLEMAN
04:40
I no be gentleman at all o
I be Africa man, original
07:19
He go sweat all over
He go faint right down
He go smell like [...]
13 October, 2008
Fe-la-bration Time C’Mon!*
If there’s a time to be in Naija, it would be during the annual celebration of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s life, due to peak on 18th October. This year he would have been 70. Imagine that. Femi and Seun are guaranteed to be in Lagos celebrating their father’s life alongside a distinguished list of [...]
7 October, 2008
Things that make you go hmmm…Exhibit A
I was on iTunes when I was struck by the Confrontation album cover. I love Kehinde Wiley’s work, but clearly Bob was wayyy ahead of his time (although this album was released posthumously in 1983, 2 years after his death).
13 September, 2008
Western Sahara Blues::Tiris
Tiris are certainly doing their bit for putting Western Sahara on the map. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Singing in Hassaniya, their sound is distinctive and carries unmistakably Arab and even Spanish flamenco influences – a reflection of Western Sahara’s colonial history. Listening to this fills me with a formidable sense of awe at what an [...]
5 September, 2008
Fela!
It’s all the rage and understandably so – the man is a legend and has been a source of inspiration to many, musically and politically. I am not usually a fan of musicals, but this one, I would have LOVED to see and inevitably dance to. Here’s a gold star review in [...]
