Showing 1 - 5 of 5
The lion roars on
Life, John Clewley, Published on 29/07/2025
» Musician and bandleader Thomas Mapfumo is 80 years old this month. The man, often dubbed the "Lion of Zimbabwe", is still hugely popular in his home country, despite having gone into exile and resettling in Oregon in 2000.
The sounds of Africa
Life, John Clewley, Published on 09/05/2023
» The Malian singer/songwriter and guitarist Fatoumata Diawara emerged in 2011 with the EP Kanou and quickly after came her debut and breakthrough release Fatou (Nonesuch, World Circuit). Fatou, which features Diawara's self-penned songs and electric guitar playing (which she claims was a first for a Malian woman) catapulted her to international fame. She has a unique sound, created out of her Southern Malian wassollou roots and Western music she learned growing up in Paris.
Nora dance gets Unesco nod
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/12/2021
» Nora, a traditional folk dance-drama from southern Thailand, was awarded intangible cultural heritage status by Unesco last week. The distinctive dance form joins khon and Thai traditional massage on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Horns of Africa
Life, John Clewley, Published on 13/11/2018
» Summer and autumn releases are out and there are some fascinating new albums that are well worth checking out. The European Broadcast Union's Top Ten World Music Chart for November features hits from the Horn of Africa, Turkey, Zimbabwe and Colombia.
When world music was opening our ears
Life, John Clewley, Published on 29/05/2018
» The 1980s was a period when non-Anglophonic mainstream bands started to make waves at festivals and music stores in Europe. Pioneering festivals like Angouleme in France exposed bands from Africa, Asia, Middle East and the Caribbean to international audiences. This is how the first wave of the boom in so-called "world music" started; these bands then began to release albums, which were often marketed from indie record stores. This is how we found out about Salif Keita, Mory Kante, Cheb Khaled and Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens.