Weekend Playlist: Songs for African Stories

 

By Olumide Labulo 

In a continent as richly layered as Africa, storytelling transcends the page—it lives in the rhythms, voices, and sounds that shape its cultures. For lovers of African literature and music alike, this curated Spotify playlist which I will just call ECHOES or whatever you choose to call it, is a celebration of both art forms. Drawing inspiration from iconic novels across the continent, it blends genres and generations, from ancestral chants to modern Afro-fusion. 

With 30% Nigerian representation, my list is a compendium of the continent's musical heartbeat reflecting moods, themes, and settings of iconic African novels perfect for reading or reflecting. I hope you like it. Have fun!

1. "Jailer" by Asa dates back to 2007 off   her eponymous album. It evokes themes of personal and political freedom ironically found in Chimamanda's 2013 "Half of a Yellow Sun."

2. "Motherland" by Sound Sultan (of blessed memory) ft. Johnny Drille mirrors the longing and nostalgia of "Americanah", resonating with anyone who has lived between two worlds.

3. "Agolo" by Angélique Kidjo of Benin channels the ancestral power of mother earth that drives "Things Fall Apart" in the direction of repetitive rhythm and Benin version of Yoruba language. This 1994 classic stresses love, resilience and connection.

4. "Malaika" by Miriam Makeba of South Africa is a haunting love song echoing the sorrow and beauty in "Weep Not, Child" of Ngugi Wa'Thiong'o.

5. "Ye", a 2018 classic by Burna Boy delivers a gritty, urban rhythm of Afro-beat that complements the emotional complexities in "Season of Crimson Blossoms" by Abubakar Ibrahim. What a perfect fit!

6. "Fela In Versace" by AKA of blessed memory ft. Kiddominant revives the revolutionary spirit of Fela Kuti—iconic in both music and activism.

7. "Me firi Ghana" by M.anifest fits this set by dissecting corruption and identity themes central to "The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born."

8. "Homeless" by Paul Simon & Ladysmith Black Mambazo captures the mystical realism of "The Famished Road by Ben Okri". 

9. "Shosholoza" by Ladysmith Black Mambazo (South Africa) brings to life the collective labor and hope found in "Cry, the Beloved Country", a 1948 novel by Alan Paton about the apartheid government in South Africa. 

Honestly, this compilation is more than music that accompanies readers, dreamers and cultural explorers. It's a literary journey through sound, inviting you to listen between the lines.