In West Africa, women are on the cutting edge of musical and cultural progress. This program looks at four singer/composers with roots in tradition and unique ideas about how to keep them current in the fast-changing milieu of today’s African music. Mali’s Fatoumata Diawara keeps her focus on messages, mixing traditional sounds and rock idioms to reach young audiences. Senegal’s Aida Samb is finding new avenues for that country’s trademark mbalax sound, including collaborations with Afrobeats stars like Wizkid. Elida Almeida of Cape Verde has emerged as a freewheeling composer, able to draw on whatever influences she likes, and it’s working for fans of all generations. And Benin’s Angelique Kidjo, never one to sit back on her many successes, has covered Talking Heads’ 1980 album Remain in Light, in its entirety, re-Africanizing a rock classic for a new time. We’ll speak with all four artists, and hear their latest music.  

Produced by Banning Eyre
APWW #785

Women's History Month: Four Women of the West

From the double LP AFROCOSMOS REVOLUTION. Soon
Performed by Yao Olagbedji & Friends.
This tune is dedicated to Country Man. Intro courtesy of uncle Yaya Yaovi. Sample from Yaya and Things.

ARE YOU A RASTAMAN

A tribute to one of my main inspirers aka Winston Rodney. Stay Original. Stay Humble

JAH NOT DEAD

We need a new constitution for a new world ! Performed by Yao Olagbedji and friends. AFROCOSMOS REVOLUTIONARY BAND of TOGO

NEW CONSTITUTION

Mix 008 -- Welcome to my Vinyl Shelf

BLACK MONEY UTIMATE 2025 FULL

On the steps of Marcus Garvey, performed by AfroCosmos in Lomé Togo.

COME WE TRAVEL 2025

In french the same message ; Unite ! Performed by Afrocosmos Revolutionary Band in Lomé, TOGO. 

AFRIQUE UNIE

Press play to hear some cool funky tunes from the 60s and 70s, music from across the African continent, Dutch-Moroccan artist Roufaida and the first ever Amsterdam *Local Music Showcase* featuring Lee from GapLife Music an Amsterdam based house collective. You’ll hear tunes by the squad: Riccardo Tucciii and Aron Quaid (released and some special unreleased ones!!).

Lucky Packet Sessions Episode 4 Featuring GapLife -

One hour of mind-blowing body-moving West Arican Music. A unique harvest of forgotten treasures, underrated gems and timeless tunes, taken from strictly originals LP's, carefully digged during our 15 years spent in the Motherland !

Intro : extract from an Hamadou Hampathé Bâ interview about acculturation.
1- Georges DIBY : Abore Mebe - taken From "La Marche Du Bélier" LP (Diby Ivory Sound – GDLP-001) Ivory Coast 1978
2- Georges Ouedraogo : Azagia - taken from "Special Haute Volta" (Mouridisc – MLP 010) Burkina Faso
3- Lamine Konte & Fode Drame : Loumbekoula – taken from "Cora FunkCora" LP (Eboni Records – ER-00005) Ivory Coast
4- Mamo Lagbema : Djam Balo - taken from  "Laisses Couler - Vol. 1" LP (Inter-Disque Fazao – IDF 0113) Togo
5- Victor Uwaifo And The Titibitis : Arabade - Taken from "5 Days A Week Love" LP (Polydor – POLP 012) Nigeria 1977
6- Compare Issouf And The Noble Kings : Kadiogo – Taken from "Kadiogo" LP (Lido Musique – LIDO 031) Ivory Coast 1978
7- Amade Cyrille & Les Volcans De La Capitale : Amon Lou Do Ma Fon – Taken from "Aye! Mon Cœur" LP (Ketu Records – KÊTU007) Re-issue
8- El-Em-Fanaja : Yé Do Ya Nu Da Tché – Taken from the "Avi Ya Ma Do Gbě Ho" LP (Not On Label – EF 010) Benin
9- François Lougah : Kankan – Taken from "Bénédiction" LP (Crezan Productions – JAM 001) Ivory Coast
10- Théo Blaise Kounkou : Fausse Amitié - Taken from "Bella Amicha" LP (Disc-Orient – DO 006) Ivory Coast

We start with two Georges, both musical giants and forgotten pionneers of Ivorian and Burkinabe music from the 70's,  guitarist (and architect!) Georges Diby with his unique blend of traditional Adioukrou music, funk, disco and latin arrangements recorded in NYC  and George Ouedraogo, master Drummer from Burkina Faso, with this ultra rare gem Azagia taken from the mysterious LP "Spécial Haute Volta".
Cora F U N K : does it need to be clearer ? Lamine Konte and Fode Drame play the cora, mastered at Motwon/Hitsville USA… followed by Togolese Mamo Lagbema who takes us back to mama Africa with his voodoo r'n'b.
Uwaifo delivers his Tibiti Beat with "Arabade" : he has been awarded a gold disk to mark sales of more than 50,000 copies of his album "5 Days A Week Love". " The ceremony took place at the Gondola night club in Lagos, and was televised nationwide as part of a program about Uwaifo, who was one of Nigeria's top stars.
Warning ! Compaore Issouf backed by legendary Ghanaian band "The Noble Kings" is a must hear : let you dive deeply into west african traditional rhythms with incredible synth parts and psychedelic sounds. We found this LP in a meat market in Bobo Dioulasso back in 2004…
Latin influences in west africa are huge, and so his this amazing tune by Amade Cyrille from Benin, with Les Volcans de la Capitale (National police orchestra of the republic of Benin founded in 1962), with beautiful organ parts playing guajira… an ultra rare LP re-issued by Ketu Records (support your local record label !).
El-Em-Fanaja is another secret dancefloor filler from Benin, "El Rey de la Salsa in Bénin" backed by the best musicians at the time.
We cannot finish without this two soukouss hits by superstars François Louga from Ivory Coast "Kankan" (produced by Sammy Massamba) and congolese Théo Blaise Kounkou "Fausse Amitié" featuring Bopol Mansiamina on guitar.


[ANALOG DAKAR CLUB] for Alhara Radio 10.05.25  "Harvest Time "

Singer-songwriter, arranger and producer from Togo, Yao Olagbedji, musically affirms his filiation to the legends, Bob Marley, Fela Kuti and Miles Davis. They subtly inspire his music, but also his messages. Always with in the background, a desire for independence to promote an original sound and a message that resonates with an Africa in full boiling, as an echo of his first album "Alerte en Afrique" produced in the early 2000s. This production is powered by the African Syndicate Band.
ASB is also open to promote militant artists.

Afropop Worldwide is an internationally syndicated weekly radio series, online guide to African and world music, and an international music archive, that has introduced American listeners to the music cultures of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean since 1988. Our radio program is hosted by Georges Collinet from Cameroon, the radio series is distributed by Public Radio International to 110 stations in the U.S., via XM satellite radio, in Africa via and Europe via Radio Multikulti. 

Mixes, field recordings, vinyl rips and self-produced sounds.

"Donnes-moi ton corps, je te donnerai ma flamme."
Dakar (Sn) and Marseille (Fr) based only vinyls collective spinning hip-mooving grooves and rarities for you to shake until it's too late. Analog Dakar Club is a collective of dj's passionate about analogue African popular music - vinyl records and tapes - which has been organizing parties since 2018. Check also our Instagram and Facebook pages for more analog treasures.

New tracks tagged #Benin