African music, with its distinctive emphasis on polyrhythm and beats flowing from percussive instruments, was long treated as subordinate in the international music arena. Music from the continent ...

African folk music goes mainstream Link Copied! North African "Rai" music was born a century ago in Algeria, out of a progressive social movement. Today, this folk music is gaining a global audience, ...

Regina Carter, the jazz violinist and onetime MacArthur Fellow, stopped by NPR headquarters recently to perform and discuss material from her new album, Reverse Thread. The record marks a new ...

In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of global folk traditions, women have long turned to music as a subtle yet potent form of resistance. Denied access to formal platforms of power political ...

Traditional African musical sounds and songs are under threat today. More than 50 years after the end of official colonial rule, the legacy of colonialism continues to sideline many traditional ...

The University of South Africa, Unisa, made history with the inaugural Unisa African Music Festival hosted on 26 and 27 September 2025 at its Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria. The two-day event brought ...

“Chicago, historically, is a very significant city in 20th century American music, and, I believe, in 21st century music,” says percussionist and composer Kahil El’Zabar. Gospel, urban blues, New ...

On a Tuesday night in May, I braved Nairobi’s grinding traffic to make my way downtown to a venue called the Igiza Lounge. Perched on the second-floor balcony of the stone-clad Kenya National Theater, ...

Heav'n :The natural goal, end, and reward of the sanctified ; The place for the full expression of the people ; Up where Jesus lives ; The place of the union of friends and relatives ; Home ; The ...

African drummer Seguenon Kone will blend musical styles in two performances -- with two distinctly different ensembles -- this weekend at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Presented by Shell.