Fonko

Struggling to come to terms with the racist heritage from the apartheid era, South Africa is also one of the economic and cultural super powers of the continent. From here comes musical styles like kwaito, SA House and Shangaan electro, possibly the fastest club music in the world.

Nigeria is a country of extreme income gaps, deep corruption and violent religious conflicts. Here you find the most commercial music on the continent. But also the most fierce protest music, as artists are trying to carry on the work from the late Fela Kuti. the most hard core protest singers of all times.

Senegal, on the western tip of Africa, has been a cultural crossroads for ages. Today the capital Dakar is the unrivalled centre for the West African hip hop- scene. Taking it's influences from, Paris, New york as well as local sources, the hip hop movement has shaped the political history of Senegal.

Francophone West Africa is bound together by the french language and a common currency. But also by traditions and languages from the vast empires that dominated the region long before colonialism. In Burkina Faso the name and speeches of the iconic Thomas Sankara is used by musicians to protest against injustices and corruption.

Ghana is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and in midst of a musical revolution. The small and stable West african country has a long tradition of education and democracy. Ghanian musicians don't need to fight for freedom of speech and therefore focus on artistic luxuries as irony and pastiche.

Angola went through three decades of civil war, which still marks the country. Now it is a boom economy, thanks to oil and chinese investments. Meanwhile kuduro, the extravagant local techno, has grown out of the shanty towns to become the country's biggest cultural asset.