Africa Is a Country

Friday Bonus Music Break, N°6

Friday Bonus Music Break, N°6

By
Tom Devriendt

Mali’s on our mind. Mostly because of the confusion. Reports from Bamako abound, while there’s still very little information available from the north. Malian artists in the diaspora, it seems, are as confused. (Check Mokobe’s site for example.) Earlier this week, Tuareg band Tamikrest gave a shoutout to “our friend” Ben Zabo. (Is it true what his European label says? Is this “the first album ever to be released by a Malian of Bo descent”?) His hommage to Dounaké Koïta:

While we’re waiting for their new album to be released (later this year, if all goes well), South African Driemanskap made time to record another video, this time for ‘Ivamna’, still off their debut album:

Nomadic Wax keeps working hard to push hip hop from Zimbabwe. They’ll even shoot a video in Washington DC for it. (And, for the record, in Harare.) Dumi RIGHT, Outspoken and MC Pep:

A week after first seeing this video (on This is Africa’s page), I still think this is one of the wildest songs I’ve heard in a long time. I also believe we’ll get to hear many more ‘Facebook’-titled tracks in the future. Not just from Senegal. Eumeudi Badiane, Wally Seck and Abou Thioubalo:

And to slow things down, Guinean Ba Cissoko live in Paris. ‘Politiki’:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHrQi-fBWxk

Further Reading

Not exactly at arm’s length

Despite South Africa’s ban on arms exports to Israel and its condemnation of Israel’s actions in Palestine, local arms companies continue to send weapons to Israel’s allies and its major arms suppliers.

Ruto’s Kenya

Since June’s anti-finance bill protests, dozens of people remain unaccounted for—a stark reminder of the Kenyan state’s long history of abductions and assassinations.

Between Harlem and home

African postcolonial cinema serves as a mirror, revealing the limits of escape—whether through migration or personal defiance—and exposing the tensions between dreams and reality.

The real Rwanda

The world is slowly opening its eyes to how Paul Kagame’s regime abuses human rights, suppresses dissent, and exploits neighboring countries.

In the shadow of Mondlane

After a historic election and on the eve of celebrating fifty years of independence, Mozambicans need to ask whether the values, symbols, and institutions created to give shape to “national unity” are still legitimate today.

À sombra de Mondlane

Depois de uma eleição histórica e em vésperas de celebrar os 50 anos de independência, os moçambicanos precisam de perguntar se os valores, símbolos e instituições criados para dar forma à “unidade nacional” ainda são legítimos hoje.