AfricaIs aCountry

Stone breakers

Africa Is a Country Podcast
African Five-a-Side Podcast

Stone breakers

By
Ts'eliso Monaheng

This edition of Weekend Music Break, number 48, curated by journalist and rapper T'seliso Monaheng, stops over in Senegal, Lesotho, Ghana and South Africa.

Xuman, the rapper, activist and radio host returns with this week’s edition of “Rap Journal”.  They’re part of Y’en A Marre, a collection of rappers and youth activists who is partly responsible for bring Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, who after his two terms were up tried to change the constitution and failed. This episode of Rap Journal addresses police corruption in Senegal while paying homage to the South Africa’s beacon of light, Nelson Mandela. Look out for a guest appearance by Dead Prez’s M-1, who was in Senegal recently working on some music.

Disregarding the controversy surrounding their movement in their home country of Lesotho, Kommanda Obbs’ crew D2amajoe (or Lithua-majoe, meaning ‘stone-breakers’ in Sesotho) have released a video which doesn’t veer far away from their name. Hardcore raps over banging beats are complemented by snapshots of their home country as they sing “I’m the size of ‘Malekoporo/ I’m a fish of the ocean/ its size compares to that of the Machache mountain.” It should be pointed out that certain scenes from the video are reminiscent of this one.

If not for the impressive line-up of rappers (from Ghana’s best including EL, M.anifest, D-Black, Sarkodie) on this song (“The ChOsen”), we had to include the video for its YouTube comments. This comment – “… the Reason why Nigerian Music is Far ahead than Ghanaians … i love this Music but the clip is soo lame … the Clip should have been better than this” – sums up the majority of the commenters’ sentiments.

Jam Sandwich is a weekly show on South African national television which endeavours to bring musicians from different musical backgrounds to collaborate on a song. Past jams have included Bongeziwe Mabandla with Dirty Paraffin and Jack Parow with Klipwerf Orkes. Klipwerf Orkes also happens to be one of South Africa’s biggest-selling groups. Here’s Dutch artist Stef Bos and South African rapper Kanyi:

It bears repeating that the quantity of rap music coming out of Senegal is staggering. The legendary Souleymane Faye joins Gaston on this poignant commentary on the loss of societal values among the youth of Senegal.

Further Reading

Slow death by food

Illegal gold mining is poisoning Ghana’s soil and rivers, seeping into its crops and seafood, and turning the national food system into a long-term public health crisis.

A sick health system

The suspension of three doctors following the death of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s son has renewed scrutiny of a health-care system plagued by impunity, underfunding, and a mass exodus of medical professionals.

Afrobeats after Fela

Wizkid’s dispute with Seun Kuti and the release of his latest EP with Asake highlight the widening gap between Afrobeats’ commercial triumph and Fela Kuti’s political inheritance

Progress is exhausting

Pedro Pinho’s latest film follows a Portuguese engineer in Guinea-Bissau, exposing how empire survives through bureaucracy, intimacy, and the language of “development.”

The rubble of empire

Built by Italian Fascists in 1928, Mogadishu Cathedral was meant to symbolize “peaceful conquest.” Today its ruins force Somalis to confront the uneasy afterlife of colonial power and religious authority.

Atayese

Honored in Yorubaland as “one who repairs the world,” Jesse Jackson’s life bridged civil rights, pan-Africanism, empire, and contradiction—leaving behind a legacy as expansive as it was imperfect.

Bread or Messi?

Angola’s golden jubilee culminated in a multimillion-dollar match against Argentina. The price tag—and the secrecy around it—divided a nation already grappling with inequality.

Visiting Ngara

A redevelopment project in Nairobi’s Ngara district promises revival—but raises deeper questions about capital, memory, and who has the right to shape the city.