Zezeh Brazil lives for samba. From a very young age she discovered samba peeking over her neighbor’s wall at their family gatherings, feeling the power of the rhythm, freedom of dance and the community spirit that infuses it all. She has spent her life immersed in that spirit and since settling in the area years […]

Ateya Ball-Lacy wears many hats! She is Assistant Principal at G. James Gholson Middle School in PG County (go Mighty Knights!). She is an alumnus of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and has been a dancer and teacher with Kankouran West African Dance Company for over a decade. Ateya is also the founder […]

Wow. Wao. Wouaou. We rang in July 4th this year in style with very special guest Henri Dikongue who was in town for a gala concert right here in Takoma Park. Our good friend Joseph “Kobo” Mouliom brought us into the band’s rehearsal and we were delighted to invite Henri on the show the next […]

If you’ve ever wondered what a “multi-media, multi-genre psychedelic opera” looks and sounds like, then you’ll want to check out the latest creation by Pete Muldoon: “As the Beast and Dragon Clash” (August 11th @ Anacostia Arts Center). We had Pete in the studio, along with our good friend Sitali (who voices the dragon), to […]

JOLLY PAPA RADIO plays the greatest mix of African music on the planet, all day, every day. DJs Eme & Michael host a live, weekly show from WOWD-LP 94.3FM just outside Washington, DC, featuring wide-ranging playlists and interviews with African artists, movers & shakers working in the nation’s capital. They have uploaded all their playlists and […]

It was our great pleasure to sit down this week with Barthelemy Bazemo, policy analyst with the Africa Faith & Justice Network, and Kerry Danner of Georgetown University to discuss the film Burkinabe Rising and help get the word out about a FREE SCREENING at the Takoma Park Community Center Auditorium on Thursday, May 3. “Burkinabe […]

This week we had DC singer-songwriter David Blackwell in for a chat about growing up in the city’s go-go and gospel scene, finding his musical voice and the importance of a strong community in his creative process. David also treated us to a few original songs live in the studio from his upcoming EP “Good […]

For this week’s interview we sat down with DC multi-instrumentalist, lecturer and instrument craftsman Uasuf Gueye to hear about his musical journey, philosophy and current work as a 2017-2018 Strathmore Artist in Residence. We also were treated to three songs live in the studio [@6:12, 18:47 & 26:54] featuring Uasuf on ngoni, balafon and dundun, […]

The DC metro area is a true melting pot of people from around the globe who live and work and learn from one another. Some come for school, some for work or to be with family, and then there are our refugee resettlement neighbors and friends who arrive by the thousands each year fleeing persecution […]

We met up with African reggae artist & poet Kwame Bediako of Ghana at a recent show and learned that he’s just moved to the DC area from Chicago to work on a new album with the area’s buzzing African and reggae scene. We were delighted to hear DC is drawing talent like Kwame and knew we […]