Shaheera Asante

January 2004 - Uncovering Africa's Female Artists

Welcome to our new Africa on your street website. I'm very excited to be part of this much-needed site where we can all share our love and enthusiasm for African music.

• Nomination BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music
• African Choral Groups led by Women
• Shaheera Asante's Recommended CDs

Nomination BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music

For many decades African music was dominated by male artists and bands. I remember in the early 90's, it was mental torture to try and think of female African artists receiving equal promotion. A major discovery for me was the passionate, powerful voice of Oumou Sangare . I first met her over eight years ago when she was a guest on World Music Express, my television music show in Vancouver, Canada.

Oumou is a courageous woman who broke with Malian convention on how a woman should think and act. Oumou has dedicated her life and lyrics to informing the world about the unequal lives of Malian women. In November, I presented Oumou on stage at the Barbican Centre London, and so I met her again for a backstage chat and catch up. Today she is also a mother, Ambassador for Unesco, a hotel owner, and founding director of SOS, a charitable organisation based in Mali that provides food to women and their babies. Some of the food is grown on Oumou's farm where she works in the fields herself!

Oumou Sangare has been nominated in the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music. Also in the Africa category are two other strong women singers: fellow Malian singer/songwriter Rokia Traore and Cesaria Evoria from Cape Verde. The men get a look-in with Senegalese hip-hop outfit Daara J - times have changed!

African Choral Groups led by Women

In my CD player at the moment are two African choral groups led by women which you should definitely listen to. The fantastic 10-piece South African Gospel Singers draw on Xhosa, Zulu and Suthu and Tswana vocal traditions, spiritual and gospel songs, jazz and soul and contemporary street harmony found in the South African townships. The powerful 10-piece Yoruba Women Choir with their five-piece band blends Yoruba traditional vocal styles with contemporary urban vocal styles, giving their music a richness and vitality that make the popularity of the choir in Nigeria understandable.

Do you have any suggestions of other African women's groups? I would love to hear from you - leave me a comment .

Cold, dark and raining winter nights in the UK make you not want to go out, but day after day of this really becomes tedious! So I wrap up and head out to the cosy and beautiful Moroccan inspired surroundings of the Kemia Bar for some soothing African music to warm my soul. On 6 January 2004 the performer will be the wonderful guitarist Modeste Hugues from Madagascar. The largest island off of the southern coast of Africa., Madagascar is gem of musical talent, and Modeste is a great example of how we've got some of Africa's top musicians living here in the UK.

On 20 January the Kemia features Zimbabwean musician Chartwell Dutiro, based in Devon. Chartwell is a master of the mbira, the beautiful, soothing traditional instrument of the Shona people, and he began playing it at age four! Chartwell's determination to learn and preserve the mbira was important to him as missionaries who occupied Zimbabwe banned traditional music in Kagande where he grew up.

If you make it to any of these events please let me know what you thought. Meanwhile happy listening and dancing.

Shaheera Asante's Recommended CDs

Oumou Sangare- Oumou

The South African Gospel Singers - Rainbow People

Check out my recommended CDs this month in the CD Reviews section or go to Music Search to look at our archive of recommended CDs.