Africa Is a Country

Weekend Music Break No.78

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

Weekend Music Break No.78

By
Boima Tucker

The‡ procession of El GaGa‡ de San Luis, Dominican Republic

South Carolina and the island that Haitians and Dominicans share is on our minds this weekend, so your music break reflects that.

The Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters kick us off with an African folk tale from the Sea Islands; then Fatoumata Diawara bridges the distance between Charleston and Timbuktu, with a Malian Blues from the movie Timbuktu; we move from there to the Dominican Republic with Enerolisa y sus Salves and their take on the classic palo “Ogun Balenyó“–a song that proudly celebrates Dominican African heritage; Pacheman y Griselito blur the lines between Haiti and the Dominican Republic tapping into the pan-island tradition of rara, or gaga in the DR, with their song “Pa ke suden lo cahetes“; this is what gaga looks and sounds like in Villa Central of Santa Cruz de Barahona, Dominican Republic; G-Dolph is Haiti’s most prolific Raboday producer, the Haitian equivalent to mambogaga; A little Kompas selection from Djakout Mizik that shows how love can cross all boundaries; Amara La Negra is the Dominican Republic’s black pride dembow princess, this time coming with a Brazil influenced Samba-Funk called “Ayy”; Keeping it in Brazil, Bahia’s OQuadro released “Jesus Cristin” before heading over to Europe to play summer festivals; and finally, Coreon Du brings it back to the DR by doing his best Enrique Iglesias interpretation on the pan-Afro Latin pop tune “Que Paso?“.

Further Reading

On Safari

On our year-end publishing break, we reflect on how 2024’s contradictions reveal a fractured world grappling with inequality, digital activism, and the blurred lines between action and spectacle.

Rebuilding Algeria’s oceans

Grassroots activists and marine scientists in Algeria are building artificial reefs to restore biodiversity and sustain fishing communities, but scaling up requires more than passion—it needs institutional support and political will.

Ibaaku’s space race

Through Afro-futurist soundscapes blending tradition and innovation, Ibaaku’s new album, ‘Joola Jazz,’ reshapes Dakar’s cultural rhythm and challenges the legacy of Négritude.

An allegiance to abusers

This weekend, Chris Brown will perform two sold-out concerts in South Africa. His relationship to the country reveals the twisted dynamic between a black American artist with a track record of violence and a country happy to receive him.

Shell’s exit scam

Shell’s so-called divestment from Nigeria’s Niger Delta is a calculated move to evade accountability, leaving behind both environmental and economic devastation.

Africa’s sibling rivalry

Nigeria and South Africa have a fraught relationship marked by xenophobia, economic competition, and cultural exchange. The Nigerian Scam are joined by Khanya Mtshali to discuss the dynamics shaping these tensions on the AIAC podcast.

The price of power

Ghana’s election has brought another handover between the country’s two main parties. Yet behind the scenes lies a flawed system where wealth can buy political office.

Beats of defiance

From the streets of Khartoum to exile abroad, Sudanese hip-hop artists have turned music into a powerful tool for protest, resilience, and the preservation of collective memory.