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

Samuel Berhanu, stage name Sami Dan, is an engineer by profession, but music has been his passion for as long as he can remember.

Sami Dan’s music career began when he was in high school, writing songs and playing in bands . He joined Hasset Acoustic Band for read more

Sampa The Great weaves lyrical mazes with her thought provoking verses, drawing listeners into a lush, imaginative world.

Her music bonds from spoken-word to rap, with stops at psychedelic and blues along the way; it’s the sound of an adventurous young mind pushing against all boundaries.

Sampa’s rise has been spectacular. After 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

Sanaa Taarab was born in 1983, after the then Zanzibar Ballet group stopped its activities. In its early years the group managed to perform by borrowing equipment from Culture Musical Club, with whom they have a long and positive relationship. Currently the group has twenty artists who are employed by read more

Sandra Nankoma is a singer-songwriter and graduate of fine arts from Uganda. Her distinctive vocals cover jazz, soul music and ballads with a unique identity that breaks codes and pushes boundaries.

In 2017, Nankoma was awarded Best Artist, Africa and the Caribbean by the Visa Pour la Creation project. This led read more