Griots of the Mande World
The hereditary musicians of Mali, Guinea, Senegal and The Gambia, their instruments, and where to hear a thousand years of oral history for free.
Musique de West Africa
Home of the griot/jeli tradition, the kora and balafon, Afrobeat, Highlife, Mbalax and the desert blues of the Sahel.
Chantée et cherchée en French, Portuguese, Arabic. Le bouton YouTube ci-dessus peut lancer votre recherche dans cette langue.
Brève histoire
Development in music of West Africa
The land masses of West Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa are massive thus showing the diverse musical heritage, cultural vibrance and historical depth. These lands have a significant role in the continent’s overall well-being. Over many centuries, culture has changed due to evolution and many other internal and external effect and so has the changed. These changes have served as a mirror to the entire region’s culture, politics, economies and also religious practices. Music has evolved from the traditional rhythms, drumming and general instrumentation to a modern contemporary version. This has included fusion of the traditional and contemporary rhythms. The evolution has also been caused by various interactions between the local and foreign people especially during the colonial era. Having a better understanding of this evolution and development of music of this region helps one to have profound insights on the complexities of the music and cultural development of the region. Sub-Sahara region refers to the region that lies south of the Sahara Desert.
Musique populaire
Popular music
The sounds of popular music throughout West Africa are comparable to a combination of Western, Latin American and traditional African music. Genres such as Highlife, Afro-Calypso and African Jazz reflect this fusion and have developed upon these styles' sounds. Highlife is an upbeat, multi-instrumental and jovial style of music which is sung in many regional languages including Igbo, Yoruba and Ewe. Ghanaian music scholar V. Kofi Agawu (2006) writes: "Highlife is invested with a bundle of attributes that include personal and communal pride, stateliness, self-satisfaction, and a strategic complacency". Highlife is rarely sung in English. The original form of highlife holds its origins in Ghana, however most regions that have adopted highlife music compose their own variations on its sounds, altering the pace, instrumentation and lyrics. E.T. Mensah and E.K. Nyame were two Ghanaian musicians who pioneered the Highlife genre, gaining major popularity and acclaim throughout their careers.
Lire l'article complet : Music of West Africa Texte sous CC BY-SA 4.0
En ce moment
Ce qu'on écoute en West Africa en 2026
Pays 15
Mali
Senegal
Gambia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Sierra Leone
Liberia
Côte d'Ivoire
Ghana
Togo
Benin
Nigeria
Burkina Faso
Niger
Mauritania
Articles 1
Radio en direct
Radios de West Africa
Musique seulement, ni infos ni débats. D'abord les stations qui jouent la tradition locale, puis les plus écoutées. Elles jouent dans le coin de la page.
Annuaire des stations : Radio Browser Les flux proviennent du serveur de chaque station.