Somali teacher defies odds to promote literacy at grassroots
MOGADISHU — Rufai Mohamed Hussein’s day starts at dawn every day and his goal is to ensure every child in Somalia attains literacy in a country whose education system has…
How Burna Boy set the world alight with his mixed brew of influences
Sanya Osha, University of Cape Town Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy burst onto the global stage in 2018 with a slew of irresistible hits on his third album, Outside, accompanied…
Asake, the breakout pop star from Nigeria who owned 2022
Sanya Osha, University of Cape Town Asake’s first commercial releases, beginning with the song Lady in 2020, didn’t really portend a seismic shift in Nigeria’s teeming Afrobeats scene. The 27-year-old…
Simi and Bella Shmurda: two Afrobeats stars reveal a growing tendency to abuse Fela Kuti
Garhe Osiebe, Rhodes University There can no longer be any doubt that Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the legendary Nigerian musician, activist and father of Afrobeat music, has become an easy career booster…
Who is Nigerian music star Wizkid – and why is he taking over the world?
Samson Uchenna Eze, University of Nigeria The global appreciation of West Africa’s Afrobeats music has grown significantly in the last decade. Afrobeats stars are touring the world, racking up record…
2022 Grammys: what Fela Kuti has to do with West Africa’s growing pop fame
Sanya Osha, University of Cape Town There are a record number of African nominees for the 2022 Grammy Awards and they are almost all from West Africa – Angelique Kidjo…
From Nigeria to the world: Afrobeats is having a global moment
Garhe Osiebe, Rhodes University Another Grammy Awards season and there is a growing list of African nominees. For African music enthusiasts, it is heartwarming that recognition is being accorded to…
100 years of pop music in Nigeria: what shaped four eras
Chijioke Ngobili, University of Nigeria The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early months of 2020 shut down nearly all physical and social human activities. For musical practice…
Sacred rivers: Christianity in southern Africa has a deep history of water and ritual
Retief Müller, VID Specialized University Water is a scarce commodity in much of Africa, particularly in southern Africa. This is well symbolised in the name of the Botswana national currency,…
Railway in harmony with wildlife conservation in east Africa
NAIROBI– Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has put in place interventions to ensure that the railway is in harmony with the wildlife. The 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi section travels through the country’s…