Since we’ll be on break for a minute (details tomorrow) when the following central African countries celebrate their independence days, let’s do a quick roundup for Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, and Gabon.

August 13, The Central African Republic is the home of Deep House DJ Boddhi Satva, who we talked about here before.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP9T9x6u71s&w=600&h=373]
August 15, Today, Congo Brazzaville artists like Bisso Na Bisso and Freddy Massamba carry the flag of Brazzaville pride in the diaspora. While Freddy Massamba impresses me with his range of styles collaborating with the likes of Boddhi Satva, and a host of African superstars through his group Fresk, Abd al Malik, who we have covered before here, surprised me pleasantly.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/19120789 w=600&h=340]
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August 17, Gabon is probably best known for African Zouk, and the classic pan-African hits of Oliver N’goma. But today (along with most countries), it’s a Rap nation. Teenage rapper Jojo made a Pop-Rap hit that made enough noise to get an MTV Africa nomination:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jymi7mXCRNw&w=600&h=373]

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Happy independence days to C.A.R., Congo, and Gabao!

Further Reading

And do not hinder them

We hardly think of children as agents of change. At the height of 1980s apartheid repression in South Africa, a group of activists did and gave them the tool of print.

The new antisemitism?

Stripped of its veneer of nuance, Noah Feldman’s essay in ‘Time’ is another attempt to silence opponents of the Israeli state by smearing them as anti-Jewish racists.