Natacha Atlas, the singer who has been called the musical bridge between the Arab world and Europe, tells us about her eighth solo album. Also on the programme, we look back at the life of the most influential popular French songwriter of the mid-20th century, Charles Trenet. Finally, we find out if records really are spinning back into popularity.
With President François Hollande soon to visit Morocco, we see that more and more French companies are attracted by the kingdom's cheap and qualified workers. Also, for the first time, the World Social Forum is held in an Arab nation. Tunisia plays host to the conference and women's rights are in the spotlight. Finally, in Libya, rugby is becoming popular after being banned under the Gaddafi regime.
On today’s music review, it’s all happening in Ivory Coast. Legendary Cuban band Compay Segundo will be paying tribute to the group’s founder with two special concerts in Abidjan. But watch out, strict dress code is required: Cuban shirts! Abidjan will also host the urban music festival FEMUA, created by the group Magic System. Among the star-studded line up is Malian star Oumou Sangare.
Dubbed "Mongolian Bling", the new 90-minute documentary by Australian Benj Binks showcases how hip-hop has become a popular vehicle of expression for the stresses of increasingly urbanized life among Mongolia's youth.
We focus on the death of Goldie Harvey, a Nigerian hip-hop icon, shortly after her return from the United States where she took part in the Grammy awards ceremony. Revealed to the public by the TV reality show Big Brother Africa, she was only 31 years old, and so far the circumstances are not yet clear.
We check out "Sela Sela", the official song of the Africa Cup of Nations which kicks off in South Africa in a few days' time. Also, the new British soul sensation Lianne La Havas is on tour in France in February, and French rapper Youssoupha takes us back to the early 1970s for a tribute to his father, one of the kings of the Congolese rumba.
We discover the talented Scottish soul singer Emeli Sandé, revealed by the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in London. Her new album is "Our version of events". We also check out "New era", the latest video by French rapper Passi, who creates neo-African hip hop.
The music industry celebrates three rocking anniversaries this week: Rage Against the Machine's first album is 20 years old, Bryan Ferry revisits 40 years of creation through jazz, and Macy Gray celebrates Stevie Wonder's "Talking Book" album which came out back in 1972.
Young artist Esperanza Spalding is back on a European tour introducing her latest album “Radio music society” going beyond the boundaries of jazz. We continue with the discovery of Kendrick Lamar, the new prodigy of the American hip hop revealed by Doctor Dre. We conclude this musical trip focusing on the afrobeat Brooklyn-based Antibalas band back with a brand new self-titled and fifth album, released five years after their previous work endorsing fela Anikulapo kuti's legacy with passion.
The cocoa harvest kicks off in Ivory Coast, but producers could be hit by racketeering by guards and soldiers. Meanwhile, details emerge of a plot to poison Benin's president. Also, Saudi Arabia bans Muslims from the DRC and Uganda from the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, saying they could be carrying disease. Finally, protests in Angola are both rare and dangerous, but some rappers are using their music to take on the president.
