Latest News – Afrobeats in 2022: global mobility, election songs, placemaking albums – and Tems – Rhodes University

A woman sings into a microphone on stage, wearing a red and gray outfit with abstract patterns, as Afrobeats rhythms fill the air and a blurred red background highlights her performance.

By Garhe Osiebe, Research Fellow, Rhodes University

 

More than Nollywood films, Afrobeats is arguably Nigeria’s strongest cultural export since the turn of the millennium. It is a hugely dynamic music category that incorporates a range of moods, languages, styles, and existing genres. To understand its impact, a cultural connoisseur has equated good Afrobeats music with well-made, smoky Nigerian party jollof rice!

As suggested, the core of Afrobeats is celebratory pop music originating from Nigeria,…