When Tendai Maraire broke down his Chimurenga Renaissance mixtape for us last year, he said about “It’s Time For You To Go”, a song inspired by a family visit to Zimbabwe (“driving down the street bumping Biggie’s ‘Juicy’”): “Young Maraire Boys being crazy at home.”

Toronto, Canada-based Zambian artist Chansa recently released his debut single, titled “Immigrant”, and has a video for it too:

Simba, Milton Gulli and Zubz’s “Scenario”, a first single taken off their Tribute To A Tribe Called Quest, which is a production by Mozambican arts collective Grasspoppers:

We now also have images to go with Ghanaian-Swiss audio experimentalist Oy’s hair philosophy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZmcAXy_7Bo

Matshidiso goes for a run in and around Johannesburg:

New soul from Sandra Nkaké who hails from Yaoundé, Cameroon but resides in France:

Anoter soul-ish one from the Mozambican lady who’s got Lusophone Africa on lock: Lizha James’ highly-stylized ode to her mother:

Jacques Vergès, Femi Falana and Thomas Sankara are but a few names who feature in this new track and video by Togolese rapper Elom 20ce (which he dedicates to Gouyano Sinandare, the 12-year-old who got murdered by the police during the student protests earlier this year):

Bajah (from Sierra Leone) recorded a Last.FM session with Prince Polo at The Kennel Studios in Brooklyn:

And Oliver Mtukudzi and the Black Spirits played an almost 30-minute set on Seattle radio station KEXP:

* The photo of Sandra Nkaké by Claire Vinson.

Further Reading

From Nkrumah to neoliberalism

On the podcast, we explore: How did Ghana go from Nkrumah’s radical vision to neoliberal entrenchment? Gyekye Tanoh unpacks the forces behind its political stability, deepening inequality, and the fractures shaping its future.

The Visa farce

The South African government’s rush to clear visa applications has led to mass rejections, bureaucratic chaos, and an overloaded appeals system—leaving thousands in limbo.

Enter the Povo

Mozambique’s disputed elections triggered a deadly uprising, as citizens resisted Frelimo’s rule and exposed the cracks in neoliberal policies.