Artists

When 20-year-old singer Samba Mapangala boarded the riverboat for Kisangani in 1975, little did he know where it would really be taking him. The young vocalist, one of a quartet of singers in the Kinshasa dance band Saka Saka, was heading with his mates for a tour of Eastern Zaire. read more

Sarabi’s music is influenced by everyday happenings. They create a sound picture that vividly represents Kenyan society.

Sarabi was formed in 2005. In recent years they have proved to be one of the most respected Afro fusion bands in Kenya. The group includes eight young men from the Eastland’s read more

Shailja, pronounced Shell-jah, Patel is an Asian African poet and spoken-word theatre artist. She is currently performing a one-woman show, Migritude, which has received a Creation Fund Award from the National Performance Network. Excerpts from Migritude have aired on National Public Radio in the US, and the BBC in the read more

 Shamsi Music is an afro-jazz fusion band from Nairobi, which prides itself in creating memorable musical experiences that capture the heart, mind and soul. At the core of their journey is the desire to create music that mirrors the sound of their heartland, Kenya, and their Motherland, Africa.

Their read more

Of all the bands that immigrated to East Africa, Super Mazembe has stood the test of time.

Super Mazembe started in 1969 in Likasi, near Lubumbashi, DRC as Super Vox. On tour in neighbouring Zambia during 1970, the band met Nashil Pichen Kazembe, a diehard supporter of one of read more

Kilio Cha Haki (A Cry for Justice) was recorded in 2004 and has already achieved the status of African hiphop classic. The album was produced in a month in a temporary makeshift studio in a flat in the slums by 37 Kenyan rappers from the Eastlands ghettos of Nairobi with read more