Uzoma Ihejirika Translators are faced with the difficult task of reconstructing meaning across languages and cultures. Christopher Schaefer undertakes this task in Baho!, Roland Rugero’s second novel (originally published in French) and also, according to the publisher, the first…
The Sound of Things to Come and the Smallness of the World
Uzoma Ihejirika There is a saying that the world is a small place, that there is always someone who knows someone who knows us. Ours, we have come to believe, is a far-flung, yet close by neighborhood. In The Sound…
Reniss’ Genre Fluidity in Tendon
Reniss’ musical range in Tendon spans diverse genres such as RnB, Bend Skin, Bikutsi, Makossa, folk music dancehall, afropop and gospel, a gumbo of sounds described by her label as Mboko Pop.
Modern Juju Music
Dami Ajayi From I.K. Dairo’s refreshing contribution, to King Sunny Ade and Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, the legendary ying-yang of Juju music, Dami Ajayi traces the evolution of a genre which spanned the oil boom of the 70s as well…
Balafon
Dzekashu MacViban Hardly do debut singles posses the ambition that “Balafon” has. Indeed, from its catchy chorus and afropolitan theme, D.A. Sets the tone for what to expect. Nevertheless, D.A. isn’t the only one who is ambitious in the…
Mboko Leak and a New Era of Online Piracy in Cameroon
Music piracy has acquired an almost legal status in Cameroon, with burnt copies of albums on display in various markets countrywide. This has been going on for so long, such that many of those who buy aren’t aware that they…
The Uncrowned Queen of Neo Soul in Cameroon
Christening hereself “Makedah” shortly before the release of her Peace, Love and Light LP in 2013, Cameroon’s neo soul queen seeks to walk on the steps of the Queen of Sheba, “…a strong feminine icon, who represents wisdom and the vision of a proud Africa which is independent and royal.”
[Review] Tu Know Ma Life: TV Comes to the Web
Dzekashu MacViban The notoriety of the web serial keeps growing as years pass, and more independent directors are drawn to the internet as a medium which provides experimental and more targeted dissemination models for streaming shows which are cheap and…
The Afro-Anarchist’s Guide to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’
Kangsen Feka Wakai http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aShfolR6w8 1. You’ve recently resigned yourself to the fact that at a certain point in a rapper’s career, usually when he/she is already steering the yacht of mainstream success after having surmounted the crab-infested grime of the…
[Music Review] Pop, Hip hop and Politics in Olamide and Phyno's 2 Kings
Oris Aigbokhaevbolo Every moment chooses its music. Or maybe it’s the reverse, the music chooses its moment? Anyway, days after Oba Akiolu of Lagos issued a threat targeting Igbos, you could listen to Olamide of Akiolu’s own ethnicity on a…