Afropop Worldwide

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The Mighty Orchestra Baobab Nov 10, 2022

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Fifty-two years ago, the president of Senegal’s nephew was putting together a band for his new, upscale Dakar nightclub, and he recruited a handful of musicians who are still together today. Bringing together elements from their homes across West Africa to the Afro-Cuban style of the time, the Orchestra Baobab became one of Dakar’s top bands. From the rough recordings made in Club Baobab, to their 21st century revival, their music ranges from slow folk ballads to wah-pedal heavy psychedelia. We’ll talk to members Rudy Gomis, Barthelemy Attisso, Theirno Kouyate, Balla Sidibe and more, and hear selections from a truly one-of-a-kind group, the specialists in all styles, half-a-century old and still evolving: the mighty Orchestra Baobab. Produced by Ben Richmond.

New Sounds From Nigeria 2020 Nov 03, 2022

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Nigeria is today the undisputed powerhouse of African pop music. Call it Naija Pop, Afrobeats, Afropop or what have you. The likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid, Yemi Alade and Tiwa Savage are giants on the scene. In this program we hear the latest from these and others, and sample action on the Afrobeat and Alté scene. We also speak with key artists in Nigeria and the U.S. about the rising social activism among Nigerian artists in the era of the EndSARS movement against police violence. Produced by Banning Eyre.

Agua y Luz: Music of Tumaco and the Afro Colombian Pacific Nov 01, 2022

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Currulao is the traditional music of Colombia’s majority-Black, southern Pacific coastal region. In this episode, professor Michael Birenbaum Quintero describes how this performative practice has been used to grapple with modernization, dramatize Black politics, demonstrate national heritage and generate economic development. Currulao connects the past to an emerging future as the identification and role of race in Colombia has changed across multiple generations of musicians. Produced by Nathaniel Braddock.

Sam Mangwana - Le Pigeon Voyageur Oct 27, 2022

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They call Sam Mangwana "Le Pigeon Voyageur" - a roaming pigeon. He could also be called a rolling stone because wherever he lays his microphone is his home. In this episode, we behold the amazing return of rumba's living legend - Sam Mangwana. Produced by Georges Collinet. APWW #863

Remembering Papa Wemba Oct 20, 2022

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Papa Wemba, one of the greatest singers of the past African century, died on stage at age 66 in 2016. But his body of work, both in advancing Congolese rumba and innovating new African pop sounds, as well as influencing style, fashion and music production throughout Africa, is immense. In this episode we look back on an iconic career, drawing on some 20 years of interviews with the artist, and insights from Congolese music aficionado and African Art Historian Lubangi Muniania. And, of course, the music!

Bacardi Beats Of Pretoria Oct 18, 2022

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Bacardi Beats Of Pretoria by Afropop Worldwide

The Fertile Crescent of Music: Haiti, Cuba, and New Orleans Oct 11, 2022

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In 1809, the population of New Orleans doubled almost overnight because of French-speaking refugees from Cuba. You read that right-- French-speaking refugees from Cuba -- part of a wave of music and culture that emigrated from east to west in the wake of the Haitian Revolution. We'll look at the distinct African roots of these three regions, and compare what their musics sound like today. This Hip Deep program, originally broadcast in 2005, is being repeated in memoriam the pathbreaking historian Gwendolyn Midlo Hall (1929-2022), who gave us the tools to understand the making of Afro-Louisiana. Produced by Ned Sublette. [APWW #467] [Originally aired 2006] Additional material: *) Read Gwendolyn Midlo Hall's autobiography, Haunted by Slavery: A Memoir of a Southern White Woman in the Freedom Struggle. *) May 13, 2021 conversation between Gwendolyn Midlo Hall and Kalaamu ya Salaam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIxq2msJsLQ *) March 5, 2021 conversation between Gwendolyn Midlo Hall and Kalaamu ya Salaam: https://vimeo.com/526784305/c853f32608 *) See the transcription of Ned Sublette's interview with Gwendolyn Midlo Hall: https://afropop.org/articles/gwendolyn-midlo-hall

Reissued - African Vinyl In The 21st Century Oct 06, 2022

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The golden age of vinyl records is long past in Africa, but the market for rare and reissued African vinyl outside the continent has been growing steadily since the early 2000s. DJs and collectors have turned an obsession with rare records and forgotten gems from Cape Town to Tangiers into an international reissue and compilation industry, led by record labels such as Soundway, Strut and Analog Africa. This program explores some of the complex and shifting dynamics of neocolonialism, cultural ownership and audience in the African vinyl market. We’ll hear stories from label owners, DJs and artists, touching on controversies around Nigerian disco funk reissues, new career opportunities for sometimes-obscure African artists, the unique vinyl culture in South Africa, and much more. Produced by Morgan Greenstreet and Alejandro Van Zandt-Escobar, with Nenim Iwebuke. APWW #749 Originally produced in 2017

Suso: Gambia's Global Griots Oct 05, 2022

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Suso: Gambia's Global Griots by Afropop Worldwide

Never Grow Old - A Salute to Toots and the Maytals Sep 29, 2022

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Toots Hibbert was a titan of Jamaican popular music. With his harmony group the Maytals he indelibly changed the island’s music scene in the early 1960s by infusing ska with gospel and went on to captivate overseas audiences by blending blues and funk with reggae, becoming one of Jamaica’s best-known performers. Never Grow Old: A Salute To Toots And The Maytals is an homage to Toots, whose incredible career only ended when he tragically died of Covid-19 in September 2020, aged 77. On this show, producer David Katz will trace his evolution, using select archive interviews with the man. APWW #861

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