Africa Day playlist: Food for the soul, groove for the sole

Although this year’s Africa Day celebrations are themed around nutrition, they should also pay tribute to Africa’s musicians, who provide nourishment for the soul through their boundless talent and social commentary; when they have gone about their duties, conjuring up sounds inspired by the ancestors of the land, Africa’s musicians have done so with superior charm and grace while celebrating Africa’s golden spirit. 

Music In Africa’s 2022 Africa Day playlist, curated with the help of our regional editors and published in commemoration of this special day, honours the bold, insightful and diverse African voices, whose efforts as cultural ambassadors continue to curate an honourable image for the motherland. 

‘Esclave’ by Papa Wemba (DRC)

The song comes from the album of the same name, released in 1986. Papa Wemba talks about the slave trade and the journeys of black slaves from Africa to the Americas. It also pays tribute to civil rights activists and artists such as Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley.

‘Jammu Africa’ by Ismaël Lô (Senegal)

In 1996, while some African countries were shaken by violence, notably Senegal where a rebellion arose in the region of Casamance, Ismaël Lô released ‘Jammu Africa‘ ​​(Peace in Africa). In addition to exorcising evil acts such as war, the track quickly became a hymn for Africa and was use used in a host of films and documentaries.

‘Ifriquia’ by Fnaïre (Morocco)

Founded in 2001 in Marrakech, Morocco, Fnaïre combines traditional Moroccan melodies – sometimes surfing on the wave of dakka marrakchia, an ancestral tradition of the Red City, which involves a harmony that evokes a whole musical heritage – and a fluidity of vibrant sensuality. Fnaïre often wrap their compositions in African sounds. The sound makes the group unique, summoning slam and textual drapes drawn from the mysterious orality specific to Africa. With ‘Ifriquia’, released in 2012, Fnaïre evoke the many riches of the continent by deploring the foreign greed that has led to conflict throughout history. "Her strange and fruitful beauty creates lust," the trio sings.

‘Afrika Obota’ by Pierre Akendengué (Gabon)

‘Afrika Obota’ (Africa My Mother) is one of the best-known works of Gabonese artist Pierre Akendengué. Released in 1975, the song advocates for African unity and cites countries such as Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, among many other countries on the continent.

‘Wakafrika’ by Manu Dibango (Cameroon)

‘Wakafrika’ is a good example of a song about African unity. The song and album of the same name was released in 1994 and celebrates African melodies and culture. The album brought together African giants such as Angélique Kidjo, Salif Keïta, King Sunny Ade, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Youssou N’Dour.

‘Isegazini’ by Zoë Modiga (South Africa)

‘Isegazini’ is off Zoë Modiga’s 2020 album Inganekwane. The track is about one’s identity and roots, and chronicles Modiga’s wish for humanity to spread throughout the world.

‘Where is Home’ by Jaiksana Soro ft. PCY, Proudly Kigezo (South Sudan)

There are things many of us take for granted. If you are born to loving parents in a peaceful, stable country, you probably won’t have any idea what Jaiksana Soro is talking about in ‘Where is Home’. As a South Sudanese living in a refugee camp in Uganda, the hip hop artist explores this question in this deeply moving song that exposes the psychological scars of wars on the African continent.

‘Kigali’ by Mr Kagame ft. Ariel Wayz (Rwanda)

Rwandese singer Ariel Wayz lends her arresting vocals to this atmospheric hit by Mr Kagame paying homage to his hometown Kigali. Few hip hop tracks can make you homesick as this catchy, nostalgia-tinged offering from the land of a thousand hills.

Afrika by Amanda Black ft. Adekunle Gold (South Africa/Nigeria)

In ‘Afrika’, Amanda Black takes pride and joy in being African. Featuring Nigeria’s Adekunle Gold, the track is steeped in African folk tales and poetry. The song serves as a celebration and a call to African people to embrace who they are.

‘Africain’ by Sexion d’Assaut (Sénégal/Mali/Guinea/DRC)

When we talk about Africa, we mainly talk about the African, a singular, warm and inventive being. The African is also the one who has long suffered racial injustice and many other evils, and who is determined to get up today. The brave and proud ‘African’ is the one sung about by the group Sexion d’Assaut in the song ‘Africain’, which was a hit in 2012.

‘Moussawayou’ by Ifrikya Spirit (Algeria)

This Algerian ensemble thrives on the African spirit. ‘Moussawayou’ employs both North African and sub-Saharan dialects, and the composition leans toward Latin countries, recalling their African roots.

‘Africa Was Born in Me’ by Berima Amo (Ghana)

Ghanaian trumpeter Berima Amo released this song on 6 March 2021 to coincide with the 64th anniversary of Independence Day in Ghana. The musician draws from the enduring sentiment by Kwame Nkrumah – a staunch pan-Africanist and the leading architect of the West African country’s liberation – for both its title and theme: “I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.”

‘African Woman’ by Becca (Ghana)

What is Africa without its women? This track, taken off Ghanaian singer Becca’s Forever album (2011), honours the infinite strength of the women who have helped to build the continent. The record is also a nod to West African lullabies. 

‘Mama Africa’ by Bracket (Nigeria)

‘Mama Africa’, taken from Nigerian pop duo Bracket’s 2015 collection Alive, invites dancing from the continent’s inhabitants. The track is steered by a peppy beat and guitar licks, and finds its authors namedropping a host of African countries to join the party.

‘Xenophobia’ by Bobi Wine and Nubina Lil (Uganda)

The quest for a united Africa continues, and the early pan-Africanists’ preachings seem to have been lost in the din that is nationalism. In this song, the Ugandan dancehall star beseeches Africans to embrace each other and shun divisive rhetoric.

‘Oh Africa’ by Akon (Senegal/US)

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was a source of pride for the entire continent. Anthems to Africa were written all over the world, but Senegalese-American musician Akon’s ‘Oh Africa’ ​​captured the public’s attention with its powerful groove and colourful video.