Best Madalitso Podcasts (2026)

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Jewish Communities of Sub-Saharan Africa 59:04

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28m ago59:04

59:04

Once-substantial Jewish enclaves of Morocco, Algeria and other North Africa states have dwindled steadily since World War II, mostly through migration to Israel. In sub-Saharan Africa, lesser known Jewish communities provide strikingly different narratives. Guided by ethnomusicologist and Rabbi Jeffrey A. Summit of Tufts University, this program fo…

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Ghana - Celebration Sounds 59:04

30m ago59:04

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In hard times and boom times, people in Ghana know how to party. In this program, we hear regional pop and neo-traditional music at festivals, funerals and community celebrations across the county. We travel to the lush south-east Volta region to hear Ewe borborbor, agbadza and brass band music. In the northern city of Tamale, we hear Dagbani tradi…

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Tarab - The Art of Ecstasy in Arab Music 59:04

14d ago59:04

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Tarab, the ecstatic feeling associated with listening to and playing great music, is a fundamental characteristic in many varieties of Arab music. In this program, we explore tarab with special guest UCLA ethnomusicology professor A.J. Racy. Racy draws on his lifelong study of music and musicians, and also his insights as a virtuoso performer on th…

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Luiz Gonzaga - The King of Baiao 59:04

14d ago59:04

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Sweet accordion riffs, the steady twang of the triangle, and the off-beat pounding of the zabumba drum make forro a favorite for all Brazilians. The infectious tunes and syncopated beats have been described as "a mixture of ska with polka in overdrive." This edition of Afropop Worldwide's Hip Deep will profile forro creator Luiz Gonzaga--from the w…

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Hip Deep in the Niger Delta 59:04

28d ago59:04

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The massive Niger River Delta is a fantastically rich cultural region and ecosystem. Unfortunately, it has been laid low by the brutal Biafran War (1967-70) and by decades of destructive and mismanaged oil exploration. This program offers a portrait of the region in two stories. First, we chronicle the Biafran War through the timeless highlife musi…

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Hip Deep in Madagascar: Songs of the North 59:04

22d ago59:04

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Salegy may be the most popular dance music of Madagascar. It’s a churning, harmonious groove with spine-stiffening vocal harmonies that emerged from towns and cities of northern Madagascar in the mid-20th century. On a trip to Diego Suarez, we learn that salegy’s older origins are both fascinating and mysterious. We meet young salegy stars Ali Mour…

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Quelbe - Hidden Treasure of the Caribbean 59:04

1M ago59:04

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On a visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands in winter 2018, we took the pulse of the national music of St. Croix – quelbe. Rarely recorded, rarely exported, quelbe is an energetic form, led by sax or flute with percussion and banjo, and it fuels the traditional dance style, quadrille. St Croix is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and sits alone 42 …

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Kickin' It in Cabo Verde 59:00

1M ago59:00

59:00

Cabo Verde (aka Cape Verde) has long been known as a music powerhouse. Despite its little size (population: 500,000), the West African archipelago is the third largest country in music sales in the “World” market by some estimations. That’s why the island has become home to the Atlantic Music Expo: a trans-oceanic music fair featuring conferences a…

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Jamaica: Big a Yard, Big Abroad 59:03

2M ago59:03

59:03

Since the 1960s in Jamaica, iconic figures such as Bob Marley have gathered in backyards to write reggae anthems that conquered world charts. The yard remains a cornerstone in Jamaican culture. Musicians withdraw from the violence of the city to create and play songs in their yards. In Jamaican patois, “mi yard” means “my home,” and many songs, pro…

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Born-Free South Africa: A Kaleidoscope of Colors 59:04

2M ago59:04

59:04

Join us on a musical adventure into the storied past of Africa's Rainbow Nation. In 2016, 20-plus years removed from apartheid, South Africa was a nation deep in transition. And, that was reflected in its music—brimming with enthusiasm and creativity, yet also suffering from the growing pains of a new democracy. On the ground at the 2016 Cape Town …

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Musical Conjurers 59:04

2M ago59:04

59:04

Musicians create worlds of their own. They are sonic alchemists. This program, originally produced in 2007, surveys a wide range of artists from throughout the African diaspora, artists with this special ability to spin out their own realities. We hear classic work from Basssekou Kouyate, Habib Koite, Youssou N'Dour, Konono No 1, The Assad Brothers…

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San Francisco: Afropop by the Bay 59:04

2M ago59:04

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It turns out that the first American city to host a roster of local African bands was not New York, Miami or Chicago, but the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California. Hugh Masekela brought Hedzoleh Soundz from Ghana, and they settled in Santa Cruz. Nigerian maestros O.J. Ekemode and Joni Haastrup lived in Oakland in the 1970s. South African m…

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Santo Domingo Blues - The Story of Bachata 59:04

3M ago59:04

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Bachata is a music of the people. Recalling the American blues, bachata was infamous as the anthem of the hard-drinking, womanizing, down-on-his-luck man, vilified as the entertainment of the brothels and the cabarets, and worshipped by the down-trodden poor as the deepest expression of their feelings. Today it is an international sensation. Alex W…

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Hispanic Heritage Month: The Golden Age of Cuban Music 59:04

3M ago59:04

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On January 8, 1959, Fidel Castro and his ragtag army marched into Havana and proclaimed victory in the Cuban revolution. Much of the world knew Cuba primarily from its 1930 megahit "El Manicero" ("The Peanut Vendor") and from the mambo craze of the 1950's. After Castro came to power, the economic, political and cultural doors between Cuba and the U…

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Hispanic Heritage Month: Live Latin Extravaganza 59:04

3M ago59:04

59:04

This classic episode features Afropop Worldwide’s original live recordings of stellar artists Joe Arroyo (Colombia) in London, Paulina Tomayo (Ecuador) in Quito, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas (Cuba) in New York, Los Van Van (Cuba) in Havana, and Willie Colon in New York.Produced by Sean BarlowAPWW #292By Afropop Worldwide

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Hispanic Heritage Month: A History of Puerto Rican Salsa 59:04

3M ago59:04

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The first time Puerto Rican bandleader Willie Rosario heard the word salsa applied to the Cuban-style music he played was in Venezuela, where DJ Phidias Danilo first popularized it. Subsequently applied as a marketing tool by Fania Records in New York, the word quickly became a marker of Puerto Rican identity. We talk to the founding bandleaders of…

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Discover and Record: The Field Recordings of Hugh Tracey 59:04

4M ago59:04

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In this Hip Deep edition, Afropop producer Wills Glasspeigel heads to South Africa to reveal the story of the inimitable Hugh Tracey, a field recordist born at the turn of the 20th century in England. A wayward youth, Tracey found himself in Africa in the 1920s where he became fascinated with music from Zimbabwe. Tracey became a pioneer field recor…

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Islam and Music: From Prohibition to the Science of Ecstasy 59:04

4M ago59:04

59:04

Islam's complex relationship with arts and culture across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia presents special paradoxes and intrigue in the realm of music. Islam has been used both to nurture and curtail musical expression. This program delves into the historic roots of this debate, all the way back to Baghdad in the early centuries of Islam. Case s…

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The Music of Black Peru: Cultural Identity in the Black Pacific 59:04

4M ago59:04

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The "Black Pacific" is a term coined by our guide, ethnomusicologist Heidi Carolyn Feldman. She describes the circumstance of African descendants displaced not only from their ancestral homes in Africa, but also from the Atlantic coast nations where their enslaved ancestors were originally brought.This Hip Deep edition explores the sonically vibran…

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Madagascar Medley 59:04

5M ago59:04

59:04

On a return trip to Madagascar, we catch up with and hear new music from tsapiky maestro Damily, the “King of Salegy” Jaojoby, an exciting new duo starring Sammy of Tarika Sammy, Toko Telo and more. This music-rich edition is filled with entrancing and hard-to-find roots pop. In the wake of 2018’s hard-fought presidential election, Madagascar faces…

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New Sounds From Nigeria 59:04

5M ago59:04

59:04

Nigeria is the undisputed powerhouse of African pop music. Call it Naija Pop, Afrobeats, Afropop or what have you. The likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid, Yemi Alade, Tiwa Savage, Olamide and Fireboy DML are giants on the scene. In this program we sample the latest from these and others - as well as action from the Afrobeat scene. We also speak with key ar…

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The Story of Bembeya Jazz 59:04

5M ago59:04

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Guinea's legendary dance band, Bembeya Jazz, are a pillar of modern West African history. Begun in 1961 in the flush of Guinea's independence and Sekou Toure's maverick presidency, the band played under the inspired leadership of guitar giant Sekou "Bembeya" Diabate. This program delves into Bembeya history with a focus on the band's 60s and 70s he…

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Blues Reflections 59:04

5M ago59:04

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In this episode, Afropop dives into a celebration of the blues--for some, the essence of the American experience and for others a link back into a lost history in Africa. For our program, we also went back through a number of key interviews we've done over the years where the subject of blues came up, particularly in reference to the genre's Africa…

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Chimurenga Legacy - Thomas Mapfumo and Mary Anibal 59:04

5M ago59:04

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Afropop’s Banning Eyre published his prize-winning biography of Thomas Mapfumo, Lion Songs, in 2015. In this episode, he visits the Lion of Zimbabwe at his home in Eugene, Oregon, to discuss new music, the current state of Zimbabwe and more. We hear from Mapfumo’s latest album, Ndikutambire, and sneak previews of works in progress. We also meet 24-…

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Nollywood - Nigeria's Mirror 59:04

6M ago59:04

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"Nollywood - Nigeria's Mirror" takes us to Lagos, the third largest film industry in the world. Scholars Jonathan Haynes and Onookome Okome serve as guides as we negotiate the intricacies and eccentricities of Nollyood's past and digital future. Nollywood films dramatize key tensions in contemporary Nigerian life, such as the relationship between t…

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Planet Afropop - The Other Sound of Kinshasa 45:29

6M ago45:29

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The rumba and soukous of Congo-Zaire has infatuated listeners across the world for more than half a century. However, today in the neighborhoods of the capital, Kinshasa, there is a movement of musicians creating a new music that is at once more folkloric and rootsy as well as more innovative and cosmopolitan. Producer Nathaniel Braddock shares mus…

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Roots Reinvented in Mali and Egypt 59:04

6M ago59:04

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Grammy nominated ngoni virtuoso Bassekou Kouyate and his 8 piece band Ngoni Ba wowed the crowd at Lincoln Center in 2011. Ngoni Ba re-wired the ancient ngoni to create a dense, 21st century sound. We'll hear the concert and talk with Bassekou about hunters, his precocious son, and his future plans. We hear a very different take on the ngoni from Si…

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Off The Beaten Track in Burkina Faso, Malawi, and Beyond 59:04

6M ago59:04

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This program ventures into corners of Africa we rarely hear from, guided by adventurous field recordists and crate diggers. The Zomba Prison Project is a set of recordings by inmates at a maximum security prison in Malawi, one of the poorest nations on earth. The project’s debut CD was nominated for a Grammy Award. Here, we speak with the producer,…

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Planet Afropop - Breaking into Afrobeats: Homegrown, Selfmade 56:27

6M ago56:27

56:27

Host FayFay sits with two emerging Nigerian artists whose paths are as bold as their sound: Looking for Avala and Inima. Avala opens up about her journey from sneaking into open mics in New York to navigating motherhood and music in Lagos. She reflects on her identity, independence, and the power of trusting her own voice literally and figuratively…

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Cuts from the Crypt 4: Zona Libre 59:04

6M ago59:04

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DJ Crew Zona Libre take a break from throwing genre-defying parties and producing their own live events and podcasts to team up with Afropop for another edition of Cuts from the Crypt. Frequent Afropop producer Morgan Greenstreet (modrums) and Brooklyn-based Puerto Rican DJ Ricardo Luiggi (tres dos) dig through Afropop's extensive vinyl archives, s…

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Barbados - From Spouge to Soca 59:04

7M ago59:04

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We look into the rise and mysterious fall of the funky Bajan spouge beat which ruled the island in the ’70s, and discover a few underground musicians who are trying to keep it alive. Calypsonians Mighty Grynner and Red Plastic Bag detail their contributions to the lyrically potent kaiso scene. Soca stars Alison Hinds and Edwin Yearwood talk about t…

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Planet Afropop - Madalitso! From Banjo Boys to Men and Acoustic Salif 52:58

7M ago52:58

52:58

The two-man acoustic juggernaut from Malawi, Madalitso Band, is on the move in 2025. With their fourth album, Ma Gitala (The Guitars), just released and a global tour, including Glastonbury, just starting, these rootsy, spirited street musicians from Lilongwe are winning hearts everywhere. In this episode, Mukwae meets the band in Malawi as they be…

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Cooking with Georges Revisited 59:04

7M ago59:04

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One of the glories of Afropop’s more than 30-year run has been joining our host Georges Collinet in the kitchen as he creates delicious concoctions, while grooving to his favorite tunes. This episode looks back on two classic “Cooking with Georges” episodes: Yassa Chicken from Senegal, and Yoruba soul food with guest chef Baba John Mason—all accomp…

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Afro-Dominicana: Music from the Other Dominican Republic 59:04

7M ago59:04

59:04

In the 1930s, infamous Dominican dictator Rafael Truillo ordered the burning of the country’s palos drums, hoping to erase the powerful vestiges of African culture in the Dominican Republic. Luckily for us, the breakneck, trance-inducing sound of palos still reverberates at Afro-syncretic religious parties across the Caribbean nation almost a centu…

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Planet Afropop - Steel Pans and New Trends 46:31

7M ago46:31

46:31

Veteran Afropop producer Marika Partridge takes us to the island of St Lucia for a “beginners” steel pan (steel drum) work shop with maestro Andy Narell. It’s a complete sensory experience, with ambiance, cuisine, and deep history on the only instrument invented in the 20th century. Plus Marika’s journey to steel pan bliss. Then Mukwae catches us u…

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Ten Tunes That Shook Kingston 59:04

7M ago59:04

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The development of the popular Jamaican style is audible in this fun-packed, loosely chronological selection of tunes, moving from a US-style shuffle to ska to rock steady, toasting, dub, and Rastafarian reggae. Programmed by and using the record collection of reggae connoisseur and KPFK radio host Chuck Foster. Produced by Ned Sublette. Consulting…

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Afro-Lisbon and the Lusophone Atlantic 59:04

7M ago59:04

59:04

A small network of DJs in the suburbs of Lisbon, Portugal has been consistently producing some of the world’s best dance music. The children of African immigrants, these young musicians have combined a hemisphere of musical influences and distilled them down into a single astonishing style. But how did Lisbon start to make such great African music?…

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Planet Afropop - African Beat-Makers Part 2: Dami TNT 44:20

8M ago44:20

44:20

Behind every Afropop YouTube megahit and dancefloor sensation, there is a producer, a beat-maker striving to imagine the next big thing, basically inventing the future. In part 2 this two-part podcast, we meet Dami TNT, a rising producer in Lagos, Nigeria. And we hear a discussion between Zimbabwean producer Kooldrink, Pierre Kwenders of the Moonsh…

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Seize the Dance: The BaAka of Central African Republic 59:04

8M ago59:04

59:04

This Hip Deep episode features a remarkable journey among the forest people of the Central African Republic. The polyphonic, hocketing vocal style of this region's forest peoples ("pygmies") is one of the most singularly beautiful musical expressions in Africa, one that has entranced outsiders since the time of the pharaohs. Ethnomusicologist Miche…

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Hip Deep in Northern Nigeria 59:04

8M ago59:04

59:04

Kano State in northwest Nigeria is a land of paradox. The ancient home of the Hausa people, it has ties back to the oldest civilizations in West Africa. Muslim since around the 12th century, the region remained largely self-administered during the era of British colonialism, and never significantly adopted Christianity or Western culture and values…

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Planet Afropop - African Beat-Makers Part 1: Kooldrink and Pierre Kwenders 51:32

8M ago51:32

51:32

Behind every Afropop YouTube megahit and dancefloor sensation, there is a producer, a beat-maker striving to imagine the next big thing, basically inventing the future. In part 1 this two-part podcast, we meet Kooldrink, the producer who broke South African superstar Tyla, and Pierre Kwenders of the Moonshine Afro-house collective in Montreal, and …

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Remembering Andy Palacio and Aurelio Martinez 59:04

8M ago59:04

59:04

Andy Palacio (1960-2008) of Belize was a brilliant singer/songwriter/bandleader/activist and one of the greatest champions of Garifuna culture in his time. At the height of his international acclaim, after the release of his 2007 album Watina, Andy died suddenly. This program was produced shortly before that tragic event and captures Andy, his band…

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African Sounds of the Indian Subcontinent 59:04

8M ago59:04

59:04

In this Hip Deep program, we explore musical connections between Africa and India. First up is the story of the Afro-Indian Sidi community. In the 13th century, Africans arrived in India as soldiers in the armies of Muslim conquerors. Some were able to rise through the ranks to become military leaders and even rulers. Their descendants continue to …

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Planet Afropop - Somali DJs in America and Songhoy Blues 42:22

8M ago42:22

42:22

In this episode, we meet two women from the Twin Cities - DJ Fawzi and DJ Yasmeenah - who are challenging stereotypes while continuing a tradition of Somali-Minnesotan trailblazing. And we catch up with Songhoy Blues through a short conversation with Oumar Touré, bassist of the acclaimed desert blues group about their groundbreaking new album Herit…

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Africans in the Arabian Gulf 59:04

9M ago59:04

59:04

Scholar and author Joseph Braude guides us through the often overlooked popular music of the Persian Gulf, the music known as Khaliji. We learn about the Africans of places like Bahrain and Kuwait - slaves of yore - their free descendents, and more recent waves of African immigrants, notably from Sudan. This episode features spectacular historic re…

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A Hip Deep Portrait of King Sunny Ade 59:04

9M ago59:04

59:04

King Sunny Ade was, in many ways, the inspiration for what would become Afropop Worldwide. And he was by no means an inspiration only to us! Many fans in America first got hooked on Afropop (and African music in general) through the landmark 1982-83 tour by King Sunny Ade and his African Beats: The propulsive polyrhythms of traditional drums mixed …

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Planet Afropop: Celebrating Toumani Diabate 1:02:46

9M ago1:02:46

1:02:46

An intimate look at Toumani Diabaté through 30 years of Afropop Worldwide conversations. From his home in Bamako to concert halls worldwide, Toumani revolutionized the kora and brought West African music to new heights – winning Grammys and collaborating with everyone from Ali Farka Touré to the London Symphony Orchestra.Join us as his longtime fri…

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Planet Afropop - Tcehlla & Dotti Carve Their Own Lane 53:29

9M ago53:29

53:29

In this episode of Planet Afropop, FayFay spotlights two standout artists, Tchella, an R&B vocalist, and Dotti the Deity, a Nigerian folk musician. Both friends and reality show winners, they’ve taken unique paths in a music scene dominated by lo-fi Alté vibes. From Port Harcourt to Lagos, and Badagry to Ibadan, they’ve stayed true to their sound, …

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Women’s History Month: Reconstructing Somalia - Women’s Voices 59:04

10M ago59:04

59:04

In this episode we take a rare look at Somalia’s formative, pre-civil war years (1960-90), which saw the birth of soomaalinimo - Somali patriotism. This national mood inspired people to put aside the clan identities so heavily manipulated by the colonial powers and dedicate themselves to the creation of a new, culturally authentic, but also modern,…

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Planet Afropop - Simpa Sonics: Neo-traditional dance music from Northern Ghana 57:02

10M ago57:02

57:02

From late night sessions of frenetic drumming, singing and trumpets and teenagers shaking their "waists" by the light of the moon, to hard-driving studio simpa tracks with drum machines, vst synths and auto-tuned vocals, simpa is an evolving neo-traditional popular music of the Dagomba people of Northern Ghana that is rarely heard outside of the re…