Leonard Karikoga Zhakata (1968 - ) - a Zimbabwean musician and singer with his 1994 smash
hit Mugove, from the album Maruva Enyika, which propelled
him to national stardom.
Maiko Zulu is a Zambian musician, reggae artist, and
human rights activist, well-known for his activism. Listen to his Reggae
Zambia.
Also Zone Fam, a hip hop band from Zambia with Life
is Good. Lots of choice today for the last letter of the challenge. Drink, sing
and be merry for tomorrow we may diet.
And an album called Zabalasa by Thandiswa Mazwai, one
of South Africa’s award winner musicians, singing in Xhosa.
This track called Hna (Here) from the album Zarabi by
Oum el Ghait Benessahraoui from Morocco singing in the local Arabic dialect. I've talked about her and Here before for my previous A-Z too.
Yegna, an all-girl Ethiopian
band, which uses music to raise awareness about women’s rights and social
issues among young people. Yegna means ‘ours’ in Amharic. Listen to them in the clip below and read more about them here.
Y’akoto – a musician
of Ghanaian-German heritage, born in Hamburg, she spent her childhood in
various countries in Africa and is now resident in Europe. Listen to her track
Come down to the River.
And since this A-Z is ending
and I won’t get the opportunity again, I’m including Yamore, a track composed
by Selif Keita and sung by him and Cesaria Evora, two voices from the continent
I absolutely adore. Enjoy!
Xalam with a track called
Xaarit. Xalam is a Senegalese band formed originally by a group of friends in 1969,
called African Khalam Orchestra. Different musicians have joined and played at
Xalam. Find out more about them here.
Xalat – a track by Ismael Lo.
Ismael is a musician of Senegalase-Nigerian heritage.
And also Silver X, the stage name of Okuta Ceasar Malish Jeremiah, an award winning musician from South Sudan with a
track called Duniya Karabu.
And finally, here is diva Miriam Makeba with Baxabene
Oxamu, a Xhosa number. The track has both the transliteration and translation
in English. Enjoy!
Fadhili Williams (1938-2001) – This is the oldest recorded
version of ‘Malaika’ available online, Williams was the first person to record this
song with his band ‘The Jambo Boys’ in the early 60’s. The authorship is
controversial. Many think it was written by a Tanzanian musician called
Adam Salim who was never credited in the recordings and did not make any money
off the song. He wrote it for his girlfriend whose parents didn’t approve
of the match and forced her to marry someone else. But Williams also claimed
the same experience and inspiration, and the song. The authorship was contested
legally and settled in favour of Williams in 1986, however many Tanzanians continue to
believe that Salim was the rightful owner. Miriam Makeba was taken to court by Williams also for singing it. Read more about the history of the Wrangling over this song, and/or enjoy listening!
Wazimbo – is the stage name of Humberto Carlos
Benfica, the most famous singer of a genre called Marrabenta, a fusion of
Mozambican traditional dance rhythms with Portuguese folk. Enjoy!
And Wizkid who is huge in Nigerian music, here’s one
of his tracks featuring the famous Fela Kuti.
Virtuoso from Mali - Vieux Farka Toure, the son of Ali Farka Toure. Magic fingers playing the desert blues!
And also Neide Van-dunem, a singer from Angola – watch her music video
featuring Calo Pascoal below:
And last but not the least, here’s late Brenda Fassie - the Black Madonna, one of the top Vocalists from
Africa with Vulindlela,which means ‘Open the gates’ a celebratory
song sung from the POV of a parent whose son’s getting married. Also another great musician, singer-songwriter from South Africa - Vusi Mahlasela, who is simply known as The Voice - worth checking out by clicking this link here.
First off, a Ghanaian Highlife band called Uhuru Dance Band, singing a
track called Umraro –
If you want a quick round up of the history of Highlife, go here.
And here's another Ghanaian hiphop artiste - Joey B, with a title called U x me
I have a lot of choices for you today – Cesaria Evora and Dorota Miśkiewicz
with Um Pincelada –
Finally Under African Skies composed by Paul Simon and sung by him and
Miriam Makeba. Controversial at the time because Simon travelled to SA in
defiance of a cultural ban in place due to the policy of apartheid. He recorded
with African musicians and subsequently faced criticism about cultural
appropriation as well. But as far as I am concerned, that’s just two of my
absolute favourite musicians’ art together – sublime!
Tinariwen - a Tuareg (Amazigh)
band from Mali, formed in a refugee camp. Internationally renowned since the
2000’s, they won the Grammy in 2012 for their album Tassilli. Very guitar
driven, stirring music, take a listen to their track Tiwayyen -
Ali Farka Toure -the
most renowned musician out of West Africa and the grand
old man of the desert blues, can’t not include him! He was the first musician
to popularise Malian music across the world. Read more about him here.
Oumou Sangaré is a multi-awarded musician and a leading exponent of theWassoulougenre of Mali - its performers are largely
women, and its lyrics address themes and subjects relevant to the lives of
women in the region. Here is a song from her 2009 Grammy nominated album Seya -
And for a
completely different listening experience, here’s Tiwa Savage, with Standing
Ovation featuring Olamide, both Nigerian contemporary artistes.
Rai is an Algerian genre, it
first developed in the 1920’s in Oran. The word rai in Arabic means 'opinion' or 'advice.' Cheikha Rmitti is revered as ‘the mother
of the genre.’ Originally sung by women, Rai rejected the then conventional rules
of refined Arabic poetry and used a gritty, often vulgar colloquial lyrics and a fusion of Arab and Western musical influences, which found a ready resonance among the underprivileged classes, but was unpopular with the posh audiences and authorities. Rmitti travelled to France and for most of her singing career sang for Algerian immigrants there. Rai was rediscovered in the 90's and became a hit with world audiences with Cheb Khaled being the most well-known exponent of the art. Listen to a Rai
song by Cheikha Rmitti and also by a later 1980's Algerian band Raina Rai below:
Ruff n Smooth are a Ghanaian
band, but they sing in pidgin English which makes them popular in Nigeria and in wider
Africa, even abroad. Take a listen
From the North to the West and then onto South to Laurika
Rauch, a legendary singer from South Africa, here with a lovely slow Afrikaans track.
She is bilingual - sings both in English and Afrikaans. Read more about her
here.
el-Qasabgi (1892-1966, Egypt) with a composition called Zikrayat (My Memories) performed here by the National Arab
Orchestra from Michigan at the Lincoln Centre, DC. El-Qasabgi is considered one
of the greatest North African Arab composers (1892-1966) and a maestro of the
oud.
And here is
Q-chillah from Tanzania singing a genre called Bongo Flava, less of the
Eastern vibe here. This is a version developed from American hip hop with
wider African influences – Afrobeats and Tanzanian Taarab and Dansi. Lyrics are
usually in Swahili or English.
And last but not the least - the click song, Qongqothwane, sung
by the iconic artiste Miriam Makeba and covered by many others.
If
you’re looking for my A-Z post click here. Though this one qualifies too (P for Prose! P for Prompt.)
Today
it’s time to get back to Write…Edit…Publish…with our entries
for the prompt -
and I'm offering this after scrapping the poem I first
did weeks ago. This is directly inspired by the Frost poem, though it has absolutely
nothing to do with woodland pathways or anything half as lovely. Three part flash and I'm hoping they can be read in any order and I'd
value your inputs as to whether you think so or no. And due apos to the poet and all, but I can't bring myself to write travelled as traveled, drives me crazy, sorry! :)
This track is a super
popular one from his album Drums of Passion, which introduced African
percussion to global audiences in 1959. The track went onto sales of millions and has been
covered by other artists as well.
And here’s P Square, also
from Nigeria, band of twin brothers Peter and Paul Okoye. A different era, a
different genre and a different sound altogether – take a listen.
Osibisa, the Afropop/Highlife African heritage band
formed in Britain by an expat Ghanaian, I'm giving you their Ojah. They became popular in the
years I was growing up in Nigeria and toured India in 1980, though I never got the chance to watch them perform live. 'Inspired' some Bollywood tunes as well, if I'm not mistaken. But all happy memories, happy listening!
And Koffi Olomide from DRC, one of the top ten richest musicians
from Africa with Obrigado. His music’s popular, he has many gold albums to his name, but the man seems unpleasant - a pretty unsavoury
reputation for assaulting people. Don't quite get why making great art and/or having oodles of cash should give anyone a free pass to be obnoxious to their fellow humans - thoroughly disapprove.
Youssou N’dour from Senegal,
a multi-awardee (including the Grammy) musician and cultural icon across Africa
and the world.
And also Yannick Noah, of
Cameroonian origin and a French resident, he has represented France in world
tennis tournaments, then taken up music after retirement from sport - a tennis
star turned star musician.
Massive! - loads to say today!
Firstly, here is the late South African diva Miriam Makeba with Malaika -
There is much sound and fury
around the authorship of this ultra-famous 40’s East African song of ill-starred
love. The earliest recording was by Fadhili Williams though most people are now of the view that it was
written by Adam Salim in 1945, a not-so-famous Tanzanian song-writer who at the
time lived in Nairobi. The lyrics are simple, particularly the melody is quite
unforgettably haunting. I heard it first in my teens and didn’t have a clue
about the meanings (no YouTube, A-Z lyrics and translations then!) but loved it
instantly. And all these decades later, it can “still take me back where my
memories remain” – no mean thing.
A whole legion of artistes
have covered it, including later singers from East Africa (Mombasa Roots) and West Africa (Angelique Kidjo), well naturally. However, covers are not only
restricted to Africa, artistes right around the world – from India (Lata Mangeshkar, Usha
Uthup) and Germany/Caribbean (Boney M) and US (Harry Belafonte, The Brothers Four) sung it through the 70’s and 80’s.
It’s eternally popular – I heard it performed live in two restaurants in Kenya
during my visit last year. Talk about earworms! and classics.
And coming back to the 21st
century, here is the West African vocalist Eneida Marta, who sings in
Portuguese/Creole, with a super-lilting number -
Also a quick mention of Oliver
‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi (1952-) since we are on the subject, a famous Zimbabwean
musician who, apart from being a vocalist and guitarist, is a social activist,
businessman, educator, philanthropist and one of the most recognised African
cultural icons. He is the UNICEF goodwill ambassador for the southern Africa
region. Take a listen to him -
And if you are in a hurry
today, this is where I suggest we say goodbye, for I am about to get into a
Megaramble about Music…
