Africa Is a Country

Eastern Highlands

Eastern Highlands

By
Serginho Roosblad

This Weekend Music Break features a number of strong women performers: Nosiwe, Rina Mushonga, Alicious Theluji, and the 95 year old Tututa Evora, who just passed away.

Austin Neill, via Unsplash.

We kick off this Weekend Music (Number 67) break with an artist who has been away from the scene for a while: Cape Verdean rapper Vieira Nkosi. This week he uploaded a short freestyle video (in Dutch) entitled “I Am Legend“. Vieira was forced to take it slow, due to an illness, but judging by this video, he’s doing much better, and his new album “Kralienge State of Mind” is finished, he says. We’re happy he’s back.

There’s never a shortage of songs from Naija. Burna Boy released his video for “Na So E Suppose Be.”

South Londoner Kwabs, originally from Ghana, is on about everybody’s ‘who to watch in 2014’ list, which is not so surprising when you listen to him. This track “Wrong or Right” will be featured on his EP that’s coming out this weekend.

DRC’s Alicious Theluji had a smash hit in 2012 with her single “Mpita Njia” together with Ugandan singer Juliana Kanyomozi. But she is fully capable of doing it on her own as she proves on her zouk track “Posa ya Bolingo.”

We’re expecting a lot from Zimbabwean-Dutch singer Rina Mushonga in the near future. Her highly anticipated first album is supposed to come out in February 2014. “Eastern Highlands,” from her self-titled EP she released last year, is promised to be an indicator of what we can expect. We’re counting the days.

An inspirational song from Kenyan rapper Octopizzo, featuring his little daughter Tracy singing the chorus on “Blackstar.”

Three years ago Kenya’s Just a Band shot a video for their single “S.W.E.E.T”. At the time they weren’t happy with the result so they left if for what it was. They seem to have changed their mind, and showed the world what they initially rejected, so you can judge yourself.

Norwegian-South African Nosizwe is no stranger to the music industry. Her brother Tshawe had a smash hit a few years ago with the track “Beggin” as part of the duo Madcon. Nosizwe has taken a different, more alternative route. Her track “The Beat” proves that the musical talent really runs in the family.

To end: this week, Cape Verde, and the world, lost piano legend Epifânia de Freitas Silva Ramos Évora, better known as Dona Tututa or Tutura Evora. She died at the beautiful age of 95. We’d like to pay homage to her with this performance recorded in 2009 on the occasion of her 90th birthday. R.I.P.

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.