Mara Dance: Breaking Gender Boundaries in Nigeria’s TrenchTok MovementBy Josplay | 2/3/2026 | GenresFrom Lagos trenches to TikTok timelines, Mara dance and Street House music are reshaping how Nigerian youth express identity, resilience, and gender beyond rigid social norms. How?
What Would a Performance Tour Across Africa Look Like?By Josplay | 1/30/2026 | GeneralThis is a journey across Africa told through stages, crowds, and sound. From the Congo River to the Atlantic coast, from the highlands of Ethiopia to the streets of Lagos, the tour becomes a map of African music itself.
The Guitar Came, Saw, and Built a Home in African MusicBy Josplay | 1/26/2026 | InstrumentThe guitar arrived in Africa as a traveler, but it stayed as family. Join us as we explore the journey of the guitar from coastal ports to village squares, from palm-wine bars to stadiums, and how African musicians turned six strings into a thousand tongues of rhythm and history.
The Long Story of Rock Music in AfricaBy Josplay | 1/21/2026 | GenresRock music in Africa has never been a copy of the West. From 1960s city bands to hybrid alternative scenes of today, African musicians have used rock to express identity, resistance, and change in their own terms. This is the story of how the sound took root, survived, and evolved.
Is There Still Hope for African Music Bands?By Josplay | 1/15/2026 | GeneralOnce the backbone of African popular music, bands shaped the sound of the continent from highlife to soukous and afrobeat. Today, solo stars and digital production dominate the charts. But as live music scenes quietly re-emerge and audiences rediscover the power of collective sound, the question remains: is there still hope for African music bands?
If African Music had a Personality …By Josplay | 1/9/2026 | GeneralIf African music had a personality, it would not be a single character. It would be a ...
Is African Music Really “All About Drums”?By Josplay | 1/8/2026 | GeneralWe associate Africa with rhythm almost by reflex. But where did that idea come from, and what does it miss?
Shaabi Music, heartbeat of the StreetsBy Josplay | 1/5/2026 | GenresWhen you walk through the neighborhoods of Cairo, there is a rhythm that pulses through the streets, a sound that captures the heartbeat of everyday Egyptian life. This is Shaabi music.
The Ekpe Secret Society: Its Governance, Ritual, and Symbolism in West AfricaBy Josplay | 12/29/2025 | PeopleThe Ekpe secret society of West Africa developed sophisticated governance systems using leopard symbolism, Nsibidi writing, and coded drum communication centuries before colonial contact. Explore this enduring Nigerian cultural institution.
Genre Spotlight: Gqom in South AfricaBy Josplay | 12/24/2025 | GenresIn the early years of Gqom, minibus taxis served as the testing ground for the genre. Because its heavy bass and compressed rhythms cut through noisy environments, taxis became moving sound systems—and if your taxi played Gqom, people noticed. This is the story of how the raw, minimalist sound from Durban claimed its place in global club culture.
Genre Spotlight: Morna in Cape VerdeBy Josplay | 12/16/2025 | GenresCape Verdean Morna, known as the Queen Music, is a heritage genre born from centuries of migration and longing. Rooted in the improvised songs of enslaved women, it evolved into a poignant musical form expressing sodade—deep emotional yearning—that Cesária Évora brought to global stages.
Afrobeats, Amapiano… and What Next?By Josplay | 12/15/2025 | GenresAfrobeats dominated the 2010s. Amapiano owned the 2020s. But what is next? Could it be Afro Rave, Arewa Sound, or Afro House or Afro tech? The next global sound of Africa is forming right now.
Your Detty December OpportunitiesBy Josplay | 12/12/2025 | GeneralDetty December is not just vibes. It is a chance for you, an indie artist, to be seen, heard and remembered. Here is how to turn Lagos festive chaos into real momentum
Gender Roles in African Music TraditionsBy Josplay | 12/11/2025 | InstrumentThe nyatiti was strictly played by the male gender until Anyango (Eriko Mukoyama), a female Japanese player, broke a rule thousands of years old.
