That first line is one by Tunde Adebimpe (joined by fellow TV on the Radio musician Kyp Malone) from his collaboration with Amadou & Mariam on ‘Wily Kataso’. The second line is the title of Spoek Mathambo’s latest single (and music video): [Read more...]
Gregory Mann, associate professor of history at Columbia University in New York City,* writes a guest post for Africa is a Country on the coup in Mali:
Mokobe commentates on the actions of Rihannon, Naomi Campboule, Rachida Beckham and friends over a Coupé-Decalé riddim. The music production is pretty standard, but the video is at least funny.
Update (3/19): Following heated reactions from fans, Mokobe took down the music video. In vague terms, he explains why he decided to do so here.
The new video for the song “Alf Hilat” by Moroccan lute player and singer Aziz Sahmaoui (he made his name playing jazz with the late Joe Zawinul), off ‘University of Gnawa’, his album (it came out late 2011) of “African” sufi devotional music from the border regions of Morocco and Algeria.
French cellist Vincent Segal and kora master Ballaké Sissoko (from Mali) recorded the 2009 ‘Chamber Music’ album in Salif Keita’s Moffou Studio. Three years later, this is their Take Away Show. (First part here.)
A quick survey of Western media suggests Tuareg nationalist claims don’t carry the same weight as Malian, Nigerian or Algerian claims on Tuareg territory. For example, the current violence in Niger and Mali are covered as either a humanitarian crisis (sympathy for Tuareg refugees), Gaddafi’s legacy (rumored weapons support for the rebels from his fallen regime) or through the prism of the War on Terror (armed Tuareg groups get conflated with Al Qaeda in the Maghreb). Meanwhile, if you’re still wondering about who the Tuareg is, you have sort of been already introduced to them via the music of Tinariwen, who are unashamed about their nationalist politics. In a recent interview, Tinariwen’s Alhousseini Ag Abdoullahi says: [Read more...]
Thinking about Mbalax Dub, got me wanting to share some more of Kaba Blon. It doesn’t seem like they have uploaded anything online yet, and the only song available for purchase I believe is Moribayassa. But, Mo Laudi was playing me some more of their tracks the other day. He had gotten them from a Malian friend in Paris.
This item, below, from The Guardian’s (excellent) Sports Blog’s weekly round-up of Youtube videos (basically random stuff they dug up from the history of sports) can help get you into the mood for today’s last first round matches:
With the Africa Cup of Nations in full swing, what better time to look back at some of the tournament’s standout matches and moments. In the 86th minute of the 1998 third-place play-off Ibrahima Talle put the host nation Burkina Faso 4-1 up against DR Congo. Sparked by a horrendous piece of goalkeeping, what happens in the next 180 seconds of play is remarkable. Congo would go on to win on penalties; In a similar vein, one of the best games of the 2010 edition was Mali’s comeback from 4-0 down in the last 12 minutes against Angola (well worth watching for the commentator’s evil-supervillain laugh as the equaliser goes in); The 1992 final that ended 11-10 on penalties; One of the best goals scored in a Cup of Nations final – Chérif Oudjani hammering home after a nine-pass move to secure Algeria their first ever title in 1990 in front of a six-figure crowd in Algiers; Zaire’s Mulamba Ndaye [that's him above in a recent picture] still holds the record for goals scored in a single tournament with nine in 1974 – including both goals in the final. From way back in 1968 – highlights of the final between Congo and Ghana (featuring a unique bit of ‘stretchering off’). And last but not least, here’s Mido calmly accepting his substitution in the 2006 semi-final.
