Your weekly #musicbreak roundup. Mokobe and Oumou Sangare pray for peace in Mali:

Yasiin Bey, Dead Prez and mikeflo’s Trayvon Martin Tribute:

Finest South African hipsters Dirty Paraffin (H/T Phiona):

Optical Illusion and friends (H/T Mikko) — the video comes with a long by-line, but the track itself will do:

Finland’s Gracias:

Stephen Marley went to Africa and returned with this video:

From Namibia, not your ordinary Nam tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74H6MC2XIbc

Chris Dave (H/T Okayafrica) gives Fela (and Tony Allen) the remix treatment:

http://vimeo.com/41434050

Finally, I was 13 when my taste in music took a drastic turn. R.I.P. MCA.

Further Reading

Goodbye, Piassa

The demolition of an historic district in Addis Ababa shows a central contradiction of modernization: the desire to improve the country while devaluing its people and culture.