Afropop Worldwide program listings for May 2008

Sudan: A Musical History (Uplinked May 1, 2008)

Sudan presents a uniquely complex Afro-Arab history and culture, and this program tells the country's story through music. A vibrant tradition of pan-Sudanese music was flowering in 1989 when an oppressive, Islamist government came to power. Many major artists then left the country, creating a far flung musical diaspora. Others--such as Mohammed Wardi, and Abdel Gadir Salilm--remained behind, weathering years of conflict and division. On this program historian Ahmad A. Sikainga helps listeners understand the complex social context of Darfur and other conflicts, while introducing them to Sudan's hybrid, cosmopolitan popular culture. Along the way we hear from Mohammed Wardi, Abdel Gadir Salim, Omer Ihsas (Darfur), Al Balabil (Nubia), Emmanuel Kembe and rapper Emmanuel Jal (Southern Sudan), Rasha (new voice of the diaspora), and many others.

Musical Conjurers (Uplinked May 8, 2008)

This program takes an imaginative look at the way musicians conjure fantastic realities--the past, the future, transformed cultural worlds--in their music. Habib Koite uses musicians from outside his own tradition to conjure ancient Mali. Canadian singer Loreena McKennitt collaborates with musicians from the UK, Syria and elsewhere to journey into the Andalusian past in the awesome surround of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. In Congo, Konono No1 generate the ambiance of a village funeral in Kinshasa's urban neighborhoods, and on a new live album, in a Belgium concert hall. Then, back in the 70s in Guinea, a group of guitar virtuosos foretell the rise of instrumental, acoustic African music in a rare, and recently reissued set of recordings. All this and much more as Afropop Worldwide recasts the musician as magician.

Sierra Leone: Celebration, War and Healing (Uplinked May 15, 2008)

When Sierra Leone gained independence in 1961, Freetown swayed to the beguiling, breezy lilt of palm wine guitar and danced to the funky pop of Geraldo Pino and the Heartbeats. Once a center of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Sierra Leone became an improbable amalgamation of indigenous peoples and repatriated Africans freed from slavery. Thirty years of political and economic disintegration led to a horrific civil war that claimed tens of thousands of victims and created a generation of maimed bodies and ruined lives between 1991 and 2002. Since the war, the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission has urged the use of music to bring about healing. This program will profile the inspiring story of the Refugee All Stars, a band formed in war-era refugee camps in Guinea. This band played a key role in giving citizens the courage to return home, and now, along with other young musicians in Freetown, attempt to pick up where others left off before the war. Members of the band will speak in this program. And young rappers from Dry Yai will give us an entrée into the country's emerging hip hop generation.

Summer 2008 Concert Previews (Uplinked May 22, 2008)

The summer season is always the best time to catch touring Afropop and Latin stars. As always, in this 2008 edition of our annual summer concerts program, we pick our favorites so you can plan your summer around when these artists come to your town. Seun Kuti & Egypt '80 from Nigeria, Vieux Farka Touré from Mali, Los Lobos and others. We'll check in with some of our favorite free summer music festivals--Central Park SummerStage, Celebrate Brooklyn, Detroit's Concert of Colors, and the Music Without Borders series at Millennium Park in Chicago.

Afropop Vignettes: Festivals Around the World (Uplinked May 29, 2008)

The best African music festivals--in terms of ambiance and fantastic artists not yet known on the international world music festival circuit--are in Africa. We go to some of our favorite festivals in Stonetown Zanzibar, New York City, Detroit, Dakar Senegal, Fes Morocco, Recife Brazil, and others to enjoy concert highlights and to soak up the scene.