African music from East to West

Today we are going to walk the African continent from East to West guided by artists from various countries who come to these pages to present their latest news or show off their successes.

We will discover that Tanzania is not just Bongo Flava.

It is true that this style so characteristic of the country is becoming stronger and is expanding throughout the continent.

But its artists are multifaceted and they show it in their ability to evolve.

Be that as it may, Tanzanian musicians have started the year strong.

The news does not end there. Collaborations and

are in fashion

. Well, the first is not very original, for years artists from different parts of the continent have come together to release common themes. They try to join forces with the aim of projecting themselves outside their usual borders and reaching more audiences. The second is a mania that has increased in recent months. Versions with different mixes are released to reinvigorate already successful songs and give other artists the chance to join them. Many of these new compositions have their eyes set on the American or European market and are adapted to the tastes there, to what is supposed to be the African music that really succeeds on Western dance floors.

In the midst of all this maelstrom, something quieter and different always emerges that can help reconcile with music and the will to live. That it makes it easier to go back to the basics or that shows that despite so much banality there are always people willing to continue fighting for a fairer world. In any case, you have to be patient and not fall by the wayside because, as usual, the best is saved for last.

We start with the east hand in hand with one of the most powerful voices of the bongo flava

. The artist is immersed in a profound creative process that will culminate in the publication of an album entitled

. As an advance, he has released a romantic theme with the intention of warming up engines for Valentine's Day. That is why he has sought

's complicity . She begins to make her way in Tanzanian music collaborating with established singers. This one in question is titled

Anjella

is another Tanzanian star who has just released a song

another of the bongo flava stars,

. The two show great complicity and sweetness during the interpretation of this composition.

presents a very successful mix of one of the most fashionable rhythms on the continent, the South African ampaino. The composition is in English and Swahili, and is another milestone in Anjella's rising career.

Also the quintessential king of this recognized style,

, is capable of doing different things as he has already shown in the past.

On this occasion he collaborates with Benjamin Mugisha, the Rwandan composer and singer living in the United States, and known artistically as

.

Both give strength to

a composition that also mixes English and Swahili.

We continue in the East, but we change countries and jump to Uganda with the help of

.

His latest hit is titled

.

In it he addresses the problems that people face in relationships in which one of the partners is too busy to take care of love.

We cut to Nigeria and take a look at the song co-presented by two of the country's biggest artists,

and

This is not the first time the two have collaborated. Perhaps the great success they achieved with Ginger has pushed them to this other joint appearance. The new theme is titled

although again it has little.

We continue in Nigeria with one of the

that was mentioned before.

It is

de

with the participation of

.

The song was a hit when it was released and established Olakira as a rising star in Nigerian music.

At the end of last September, he joined Davido to present this new version and now, together, they have exceeded 45 million views on YouTube.

Fatoumata Diawara

returns home with his composition

,

with which he tries to reconcile with his family for many of the decisions he has made throughout his life and that have normally gone against tradition and the obedience due to parents.

Since we are entangled with geography, Diawara was born in the Ivory Coast to Malian parents.

With his latest single,

Ivorian

says he wants to denounce the new form of dictatorship into which they say African countries have fallen.

Justice, under the orders of the Executive, systematically condemns dissenting voices to prison terms of 20 years.

The reggae star does not cease in his denunciation, on the contrary, as time goes by he becomes stronger in his fight.