Afropop is pleased to unveil a new series of guest posts, offering coverage of music scenes by writers who know them best. For your convenience, we now offer the entire series to date, in one easy place:
Addis Ababa: Music Renaissance in Ethiopia
"Ethiopia has long been highly regarded for its once-rich and vibrant music scene. It struggled with the official censorship of the ’80s and the sluggishness that plagued it afterwards, but now the contemporary music scene is finally taking off, fueled by live performances, the impact of FM radios and the Internet, and the return of exiled musicians who are reassuming their role as creators..."
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Jano Band[/caption]
Lagos: Nigeria, Scene and Heard
"Spend enough time in Nigeria and you’ll soon realize that we love music. Yes, that can be said about every person in every country. What I mean is we love “our” music. Artists from abroad are respected and admired but they will never get as many cheers from the crowd as an artist who reps Naija."
Cairo: Mahraganat, Musical Revolution in Egypt
"Emanating from the poor, disenfranchised urban classes of Egypt’s capital and other big cities, mahraganat (festivals) is a dance music that combines tunes from traditional music of the popular classes, known as shaabi, with a score of foreign influences–primarily electro, hip-hop and trance."
Kinshasa: The Latest Hits from the D.R.C
"The music news in the D.R.C. mostly focuses on musicians that have albums released, or those that are in studio working on their next albums."
Béjaïa: Algerian Music Beyond Borders
"Musically, Algeria has been evolving for quite a while. The country’s harmonious chaâbi, humming raï, and other popular genres have not stepped aside, but new genres have arrived or, more accurately, young Algerians have melded their own styles with foreign ones to create a new sound and modernize traditional music."
