At 22, Imelda Gabs is finding her voice as a singer-songwriter and producer, drawing on her dual Congolese and Belgian heritage. A songwriter since she was a child, and a performer since she was a teenager, she was first noticed in 2017, on the big stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival, when she sang aContinue reading “Eyes on 2021: The Singer Who Is Drawing on her Congolese and Belgian Identities”
Category Archives: Music
Eyes on 2021: The Education Minister Who Is Also Schooling Through Music
A Harvard graduate and MIT PhD, David Moinina Sengeh is now the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education in Sierra Leone. Having grown up with victims of his country’s decade-long civil war, and with many amputees, he was first known for his postgraduate research work on prosthetics. Much of that research was conducted whileContinue reading “Eyes on 2021: The Education Minister Who Is Also Schooling Through Music”
Meet the Matriarch of Reggae Music
VP Records co-founder and reigning real Queen of the Dancehall and matriarch of Reggae music, Patricia “Miss Pat” Chin, continues to lead the largest independent Reggae label and distributor of Caribbean music. Enjoy this excerpt from her forthcoming energetic and very engaging autobiography, where she talks about her family history, sound system culture, the startContinue reading “Meet the Matriarch of Reggae Music”
This Tunisian Singer Has Just Released Her Lockdown Recordings
It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly ten years since the world watched the events of the Arab Spring unfold. The hope came with the peaceful actions of all those young people who rose up against authoritarian regimes in often successful attempts to secure a brighter, more democratic future. In Tunisia, the singer-songwriter EmelContinue reading “This Tunisian Singer Has Just Released Her Lockdown Recordings”
Meet America’s Favorite Yoruba Tech Soul Pioneer
I met Eli Fola a year ago at a screening of my film Bigger Than Africa, which was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. I was already a fan of his work before our first encounter. I felt that the sound of his music has a therapeutic effect on me, andContinue reading “Meet America’s Favorite Yoruba Tech Soul Pioneer”
This 4th of July Livestream Will Celebrate the Friendship Between Africa and America
For this year’s 4th of July celebration, the U.S. Department of State’s Africa Regional Services has scheduled an Independence Day Livestream featuring music and interviews with artists, entrepreneurs and innovators from both the United States and Sub-Saharan African countries. I will be the host for this Livestream, alongside South African DJ Mo Laudi, a TRUEContinue reading “This 4th of July Livestream Will Celebrate the Friendship Between Africa and America”
Here Is An Africa Show You Don’t Want To Miss
For those who enjoyed the One World: Together at Home special on April 18th, where Lady Gaga, Global Citizen and dozens of other celebrities raised $35 million for coronavirus relief through the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund, here is an Africa focused virtual show, dubbed Africa at Home. Canal+, A+, Universal Music Africa, CStar, Dailymotion, andContinue reading “Here Is An Africa Show You Don’t Want To Miss”
How Does a Top South African DJ Keep Busy During Quarantine?
It was just a few days before President Macron announced the lockdown here in France that I found myself asking what Ubuntu might look like in the age of social distancing. What might society look like post COVID-19? I remember arriving in Hyères, in the South of France, for research on an art project I’mContinue reading “How Does a Top South African DJ Keep Busy During Quarantine?”
Why Angelique Kidjo Won’t Let the Coronavirus Slow Her Down
Fresh off her January 26th Grammy win, the fourth in her career, the Brooklyn-based Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo was getting ready for an all-star performance, dubbed “Daughter of Independence.” Scheduled for March 14th at Carnegie Hall, Kidjo was due to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her native Benin’s independence alongside her own upcoming 60th birthday.Continue reading “Why Angelique Kidjo Won’t Let the Coronavirus Slow Her Down”