Jun152020
This week’s selection comes from Michele Banal, Audio Project Cataloguer for Unlocking our Sound Heritage. The Kankurang is a Mandinka masked figure from the Senegambia region, associated with male societies and more specifically with boys’ initiation ceremonies. It is a protective figure and an enforcer of rules, but, as masked…
Jose Manuel de Prada-Samper is a researcher and writer with an expertise in mythology and folklore. Since 2011, he has been recording and investigating the culture of Afrikaans-speaking Khoisan descendants living in rural areas in the Western Cape and … read more
This week’s selection comes from Dr Janet Topp Fargion, Lead Curator of World and Traditional Music. Zanzibari musician, Makame Faki, affectionately known by the nickname ‘Sauti ya zege’ (‘Voice of gravel’), passed away aged 77 on 18 January 2020. He w… read more
Negusa Nagast (King of Kings) Menelik II of Ethiopia Guest blog by Eyob Derillo of the British Library Ethiopian collection The year 2019 marks the 175th anniversary of the birth of King Menelik II, one of Ethiopia’s most famous and influential monarch… read more
This week’s selection comes from Mat Hart, World & Traditional Music volunteer for Unlocking our Sound Heritage. This beautiful song is composed and performed by Madi Lehbib, who sings and plays percussion on this track, with accompaniment from guitari… read more