Artists

Mohamed Ilyas embodies the culture and history of the Zanzibar islands like no other. He comes from a great tradition of taarab singers who took the Arabic origin of the art form and transformed it to a uniquely Zanzibar experience. He is firmly grounded in this tradition, with a read more

Mehdi Qamoum is a young artist who was born and raised in Agadir, Morocco. As he grew up, he embraced his family's traditional Gnawa music roots. He excelled in this field and formed his first music band at an early age. After hooking up with several well-known and highly read more

"Maloya Maniér Fanm" (Kreol language) means "Maloya Made by Women".

Simangavole is a women-only group that powerfully performs traditional maloya, the original rebel music as created by African slaves who were brought to Reunion Island.

Simangavole’s song lyrics draw from raw emotions and feelings. Their high energy read more

Percussion Discussion Afrika was founded in 1997 by Herman Ssewanyana. Already a celebrity in the Ugandan community, Herman has been performing and recording for over 25 years, renowned for his work with dancehall giants the Afrigo Band.

Percussion Discussion Afrika bases its music on original Ugandan tunes for traditional African instruments, read more

From the Casamance region of Senegal, Sana Cissokho was born into a Mandinka traditional family of jalis or griots, where he learned to play kora with his parents Lamine Cissokho and Ndeye Diongtang Diabaté. He grew up with the Mandé people and received in-depth training in these rich cultural traditions.

Sana’s read more

Mamy Kanouté was born into a family of Senegalese griots, the famed singers and musicians that constitute a repository of West African oral tradition, history and culture.

She has collaborated regularly with other Senegalese music legends, including Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Omar Pène, and Didier Awadi. She has read more