Celebrate International Women’s Day with African Rhythms — two hours of glorious female voices from the African continent, including Miriam Makeba, Gigi, Fatoumata Diawara and many others. Streaming now at the KFAI site.
Miriam Makeba by Jurgen Schadeberg
As the world celebrates the life of Nelson Mandela, African Rhythms salutes the music of South Africa on today’s show, from Masekela and Makeba to the Dark City Sisters and the Mgababa Queens, along with a set of contemporary African music from around the continent during the first hour. Streaming now at the KFAI site.
On this week’s African Rhythms on KFAI: Women of African Music: Great Voices from the Continent. This show, devoted exclusively to African women vocalists in honor of Women’s History Month, gave us an opportunity to play all-female groups like the Amazons of Guinea and the Mahotella Queens, superstars like Mariam Makeba, Oumou Sangaré, Cesaria Evora, and Gigi Shibabaw, and some lesser-known women who deserve to be known. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to hear superb singers we could not fit in this two-hour show, such as Monique Seka (Ivory Coast), Amina Annabi (Tunisia), Mbilia Bel (Zaire/Congo), Toto Bissainthe (Haiti), Coumba Gawlo Seck (Senegal), Mingas (Mozambique), Rasha (Sudan), and Susanna Baca (Peru). With Charlie, Joelle and Brad. Hear the show at the KFAI site.
Today’s edition of African Rhythms on KFAI featured a set of music from some of South Africa’s greatest female voices, going back to a 1964 LP by Miriam Makeba (The Voice of Africa) and fast-forwarding to contemporary stars like Simphiwe Dana, Thandiswa, and Lira (singing a lovely pop song in Zulu). We also heard a couple of tracks from M.anifest’s forthcoming album plus the usual eclectic mix of sounds from the continent and beyond. You can hear the show for two weeks at the KFAI site.
The perfect companion film to When We Were Kings and a document of a great cross-cultural moment of the 70s. Directed by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte. With James Brown, The Spinners, Tabu Ley Rochereau, Manu Dibango, The Fania All Stars with Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, Hector Lavoe and Ray Barretto, B.B. King, Franco and OK Jazz, Bill Withers, Miriam Makeba, Muhammad Ali, Don King.
Debussy Fields 