Afropop Worldwide

  By Jeremiah Lockwood Originally published in the Forward issue of February 19, 2010. Jeremiah Lockwood just returned from a trip to the West African nation of Mali with his band, The Sway Machinery. The band performed at the Festival au Desert and recorded an album with Malian guest artists. Americans grow up hearing “Timbuktu” used to mean the most remote place in the world. Though readily reachable these days, the real city of Timbuktu, Mali, is indeed touched by the color of the exotically magical. The city is made up of red dusty bricks that look as though they might blow away if not for the binding spell of an incantation. But the true magic of this city is in its incomparable cultural riches.       Musician and native New Yorker, Jeremiah Lockwood lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons.