The promise of African soft power
"My music is not there for entertainment. It is there to spread a message," said Nigerian activist and afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti (1938-1997) in the 1970s. Half a century later, his distant heirs – descendants of the "Black President" – seem to have moved on from that mantra. In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, afrobeats (with an "s") now reigns supreme: a danceable, addictive genre that is unabashedly festive and commercial. Emerging from Lagos, Nigeria's chaotic megacity, this blend of R'n'B, electronic music, hip hop and traditional African rhythms has taken the world by storm.
On April 18 in Paris, nearly 80,000 people packed the Stade de France to see Nigerian star Burna Boy, the first African headliner to perform solo in the stadium. The "African Giant" – also the title of his landmark 2019 album – draws massive crowds, as do fellow performers like Wizkid, Ayra Starr and Rema, whose hit " Calm Down," remixed with American pop star Selena Gomez, has over one billion views on YouTube.
"The impact in terms of influence is enormous," said Yoel Kenan, founder and CEO of Africori, a music distribution company with offices in Johannesburg, London and Lagos, which supports nearly 7,000 African artists. "Fifteen years ago, Nigeria was seen as a country of crooks, but now people think first of culture and afrobeats."
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"My music is not there for entertainment. It is there to spread a message," said Nigerian activist and afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti (1938-1997) in the 1970s. Half a century later, his distant heirs – descendants of the "Black President" – seem to have moved on from that mantra. In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, afrobeats (with an "s") now reigns supreme: a danceable, addictive genre that is unabashedly festive and commercial. Emerging from Lagos, Nigeria's chaotic megacity, this blend of R'n'B, electronic music, hip hop and traditional African rhythms has taken the world by storm. On April 18 in Paris, nearly 80,000 people packed the Stade de France to see Nigerian star Burna Boy, the first African headliner to perform solo in the stadium. The "African Giant" – also the title of his landmark 2019 album – draws massive crowds, as do fellow performers like Wizkid, Ayra Starr and Rema, whose hit " Calm Down," remixed with American pop star Selena Gomez, has over one billion views on YouTube. "The impact in terms of influence is enormous," said Yoel Kenan, founder and CEO of Africori, a music distribution company with offices in Johannesburg, London and Lagos, which supports nearly 7,000 African artists. "Fifteen years ago, Nigeria was seen as a country of crooks, but now people think first of culture and afrobeats."
