Audio Programs
Closeup June 19, 2018
Thomas Mapfumo: The Enigma of Return
Hip Deep June 14, 2018
The Nature of Trance
In this program, we explore the phenomenon of trance through a survey of musical and spiritual traditions, discover how different cultural and spiritual ideas are expressed musically, how the mathematical complexity of mbira dzavuzimu music may lead to Shona spirit possession, and how experiments in neural imaging give us insight into how the brain works in a state of trance.
Afropop Classic June 7, 2018
African Music at the Crossroads
Closeup June 5, 2018
Carnival Goes Digital
Afropop Classic May 31, 2018
All That Brass
Closeup May 22, 2018
Tobago's #MeToo Trailblazer: Calypso Rose
In this Afropop Closeup, correspondent Dan Rosenberg talks with Calypso Rose about using music as a weapon for social change.
Afropop Classic May 17, 2018
Afropop Divas - Live
Hip Deep May 10, 2018
Lagos and the Rise of Nigerian Afrobeats
Lagos and the Rise of Nigerian Afrobeats tells the story of the birth and development of this scene straight from the influential and foundational figures who lived it including 2Face Idibia, Iyanya, Yemi Alade, Adekunle Gold, Flavour and more.
Afropop Classic April 5, 2018
Crabs With Brains: The Mangue Revolution and New Sounds of Recife
Afropop dives into the rock-inflected music scene in Recife, Brazil.
Hip Deep March 15, 2018
Roots and Future: A History of U.K. Dance
Building on prior Hip Deep explorations of the origins of house and techno in the American Midwest, “Roots and Future” explores how a community of (primarily) black British musicians, fans, D.J.s, and radio pirates recreated dance music in the United Kingdom during the 1990s and 2000s.
Afropop Classic February 22, 2018
Highlights From Afropop Closeup: Season Two
Closeup February 6, 2018
What’s in a Nigerian Name?
Nigerian musicians almost all have stage names and in this audio program we explore the history of why that is.
Hip Deep February 1, 2018
Reimagining Jazz in Africa: Cape Town Cosmopolitans and Beyond
How jazz music came back to Africa, South Africa in particular, by way of America.
Afropop Classic January 25, 2018
Afropop at 30: Live in the '90s
As Afropop turns 30, we take a stroll down memory lane to enjoy some of the extraordinary live recordings we brought to the public radio community in the 1990s including Thione Seck in Dakar, Gerardo Nunez in New York, Abdel Aziz el Mubarak in London, Lobi Traore in Bamako, a carnival comparsa in Cuba and David Rudder in New York. Co-hosted by Georges Collinet, Siji Awoyinka, and Sean Barlow.
Closeup January 9, 2018
“For My Ayeeyo:” Learning Somali Poetry From a Distance
Amal Hussein and Hamdi Mohamed have a lot in common. Both were born in Kenya, where their parents fled as refugees during the Somali Civil War, and both came to Boston when they were just a few years old. They’re both poets — and equally important for this story — both their grandmothers are poets...
Closeup December 26, 2017
Underground
Underneath the streets of New York City, in the tunnels and stations of the busiest subway system in the country, there is a thriving music scene. Amidst the noise of passing trains, we meet Papa Fara, a Cameroonian xylophonist and singer, who plays for tips and captures the love of strangers and makes friends with his quick, warm smile. But, behind the smile and beautiful melodies, something is troubling Papa Fara. There’s a reason he’d rather be underground.
Afropop Classic December 21, 2017
The (New) Sound Of Afro Paris
In this program, we explore the new "Afropolitan" sounds of Paris, from concert halls to studios, from the heart of the city to immigrant neighborhoods in the banlieues.
Hip Deep December 14, 2017
Thomas Mapfumo 2: The Mugabe Years
In recognition of the end of Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule in Zimbabwe, we are rebroadcasting our program on the career of Thomas Mapfumo during the Mugabe years.
Closeup December 12, 2017
Biafra at 50: A Wound That Does Not Heal
We examine how the unresolved issues that triggered the devastating Biafran War in the 1960s still resonate and persist in the Niger Delta today on this Afropop Closeup.
Afropop Classic December 7, 2017
Stocking Stuffers 2017
It's time once again for Georges Collinet and Banning Eyre to spin through our favorite African and African diaspora releases of the year.
Afropop Classic November 30, 2017
Cuts from the Crypt III
Back in the day, host Georges Collinet and producer Sean Barlow (A.K.A. Prince Segue Segue) dragged stacks of vinyl all over the country to deejay for station-produced Afropop Dance Parties. We'll dig into the past to retrieve some of our favorite gems from the Congo, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Brazil and Cote d'Ivoire.
Closeup November 28, 2017
Kizito Mihigo and the Politics of Music in Post-Genocide Rwanda
Kizito Mihigo is one of Rwanda’s most beloved singers, yet he is currently imprisoned, serving a 10-year sentence for treason. In 2014, Mihigo released a song which criticized the wartime actions of Rwanda’s governing political party. The song went viral, sparking a nationwide dialogue around the genocide, and weeks later, Mihigo was arrested on charges of conspiracy to assassinate the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.
Afropop Classic November 16, 2017
Afropop Live! 2017
Here’s Afropop’s annual roundup of great live recordings we’ve captured over the past year but haven't found time to air.
Closeup November 14, 2017
Night at the Clash
Sound clashes have been a mainstay of reggae culture for decades. Mobile sound system teams face off to see who can best move the crowd with their selections of records and exclusive "dub plate" jingles. On a recent late night in Queens, seven sounds competed for the U.S. champion title, and many were surprised by the winner. We meet the sound-system operators and talk to fans about why they love the clash scene. Produced by Noah Schaffer.
Hip Deep November 9, 2017
Hip Deep Angola 2: Kuduro and Beyond
In this Hip Deep program, join producer Ned Sublette on the streets of Angola’s big, smoggy, oil-booming capital city of Luanda. Peace came to Angola in 2002 after forty-two years of war, and now everything is different, with construction under way everywhere.
Closeup October 31, 2017
Shackled Love: LGBT Asylum Seekers in the U.K.
Hip Deep October 19, 2017
Riqueza del Barrio: Puerto Rican Music in the United States
“Riqueza del Barrio,” produced by Ned Sublette explores Puerto Rico’s distinctive cultural identity as expressed through flavorful music.
