Afropop Worldwide Folgen

One of the most important performing artists to emerge on the Brazilian music scene in the new millennium, Criolo has crafted a diverse and eclectic body of work. Moving between rap, reggae, Afrobeat, samba, electronic music and other genres, Criolo has constantly used his music to address the dramatic issues of race, social inequality and governmental corruption that have blighted contemporary Brazil. In this podcast, Criolo tells producer David Katz about his early struggles in the peripheral favelas of Sao Paulo, the evolution of his life and work and the liberating nature of art. Photo: ©David Katz

The square gumbe frame drum was created centuries ago by enslaved Africans in Jamaica. It traveled to Sierra Leone with freed Maroons from Jamaica’s highlands in 1800. From there, the drum and its evolving, pan-ethnic music spread to 17 African nations. In this program we trace the history and legacy of this joyous and surprising music with field work in Jamaica, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Mali. Produced by Banning Eyre.

On this program, we look at Puerto Rican protest songs over the past two centuries, including Paracumbé's subversive bomba dances from the time of slavery, Las Barrileras 8M, an all-women drumming group demanding an end to violence against women and a new plena from Hector Tito Matos about the death of George Floyd. The past three years have been incredibly traumatic for Puerto Rico: two hurricanes followed by slow recovery efforts that led to the death of 3,057 on the island, a text message scandal mocking women’s rights that eventually brought down a governor, the deaths of more unarmed Black men, women and children across the United States and of course the coronavirus pandemic. Producer Dan Rosenberg looks at how artists across Puerto Rico including Plena Libre helped in the healing process after Hurricane Maria by performing for those who lost their homes in the storm. We’ll hear music from marches that led to the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosello. “We’ve been under attack from nature and bad governments and so many things since 2017, and from before, but 2017 made us more aware,” explains Nelie Lebron-Robles. “Here we are. One nation with a very distinct Latin American identity, very proud of who we are. We’ve discovered we can do anything that we propose ourselves to do.”