Sounds of southern Africa. Music, Empowerment, Freedom 

SCIENCE AND INNOVATION

Our podcast series Sounds of southern Africa. Music, Empowerment, Freedom is finally complete, with the first five episodes released in July and the final four in October 2021. With the help of various experts, these podcasts explore the links between music, politics, freedom of expression and censorship in several southern and central African countries, from the 20th century to the present day. The researchers interviewed here analyse these complex relationships and, to our great delight, give us the opportunity to listen to little-known melodies and sounds. We invite you on a musical journey through a history marked by adversity and resilience, through a variety of musical genres — from South African and Namibian melodies in the apartheid era to Congolese rumba in the colonial period, and rap or pop music in contemporary Mozambique and Angola.

Follow this link to listen to all ten episodes

You might also like

Futures_Past project teams meet in Johannesburg

On 26 and 27 February 2026, the Futures_Past: Amplifying Memory with Immersive Technologies cohort gathered in Johannesburg for a...

Agreement between DBE and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Department of education and the French language of the French Embassy in South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi is...

One year later: the effects of the 2025 HIV funding cuts

On 12 February 2026, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) hosted a panel discussion at Dibukafé in Braamfontein...

Podcast – “Cuba and Africa, 1959–1994: Writing an Alternative Atlantic History”

Discover more about the relationships between Cuba and Africa in a podcast dedicated to the publication of “Cuba and Africa,...

Let's get social

This message is only visible to admins.
Problem displaying Facebook posts.
Click to show error
Error: Server configuration issue
Twitter feed is not available at the moment.