Sights, sounds and scans: My wrap-up of 2024 in African film, music and literature
Merry Christmas and a happy holidays to all who celebrate. And for those who don't, I hope that you had a relaxing, peaceful time with loved ones.
Thank you to everyone who read and subscribed to this publication since its launch in February. Getting it off the ground and growing it as much as I have was one of my high points of 2024 and I look forward to doing more of the same in 2025.
I decided to look back at the year with a review of Africa's creative output in 2024. You might have come for the takes on African political economy, security and international affairs, but you should definitely stay for some musings on sport, culture, religion and everything in between.
Before I sign off for the year, here's a playlist of 100 songs by African musicians that I enjoyed in 2024. Artists from 53 of the African Union’s 54 countries are represented in this playlist, and I hope you have as much fun listening to it as I did curating it.
It was another banner year for art, fashion, film, literature, music and sport across the continent as the global demand for African creativity reached newer dimensions this year.
The continent's fashion designers were avatars of self-expression and cultural renaissance on the global stage. Africa’s kaleidoscope of customs, traditions and perspectives found expression on the contemporary art scene as the likes of Barthélémy Toguo, Joana Choumali, Tesfaye Urgessa and Sènami Donoumassou made important contributions to the vitality of the continent’s art scene. The launch of the Museum of West African Art in Benin City was a milestone for cultural and artistic heritage.
In the world of sport, the biggest story of 2024 was an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition for the ages. For me, AFCON is the most exciting sporting event and my favorite international tournament. It might not be the “best” one in a technical sense, but no other athletic event comes close to matching the cultural prowess, thrill, suspense and drama that AFCON produces every two years.
This year’s tournament saw the first-ever release of an official AFCON EP, including “Akwaba,” the tournament’s official anthem sang by Ivorian music quartet Magic System featuring the Nigerian singer Yemi Alade and Mohamed Ramadan, an Egyptian singer and actor.
This year’s tournament just might have been the best one ever. It had everything including a spectacular opening ceremony that illustrated the cultural richness of Côte d'Ivoire, the host nation; a record haul of goals scored; the huge upsets and WTF scenes that make sports a compelling experience; the banter and memes that are a staple of sports viewing in the internet age; and the storybook tales that define a tournament for decades to come. None was bigger than Côte d'Ivoire’s epic run to the title that saw the team go from the brink of elimination in the group stage after a 4-0 drubbing by Equatorial Guinea to lifting the trophy on home soil after defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final.
Of course, AFCON was hardly the only sports competition of this year in which African sportspeople shone brightly. Top performers like Egypt’s Mohammed Salah, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy, Côte d'Ivoire’s Evan Ndicka, Victor Boniface and the reigning African Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman, both of whom are Nigerians, lit up Europe’s major football leagues.
Medallists from Kenya, Botswana and Ethiopia set impressive records during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Given the large number of players in European national football teams who were born to immigrant parents from Africa, Euro 2024 was a metaphor for Europe’s dysfunctional relationship with Africa, as I wrote after the tournament’s conclusion.
That brings me to music, film and literature. Despite several challenges that continue to stifle innovation and growth in those industries, they took big steps toward cultural preservation, community development and social responsibility. The prospects for further growth and sustainability are bright, despite the considerable difficulties that exist today.
I consumed my fair share of African creative products in 2024, as I always have. Thus, I thought it would be useful to share a sample of what I listened to, watched and read. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but for the sake of brevity, I decided to limit my choice to five picks in the three categories.
Below is a collection of music albums, books and films created by Africans this year that I enjoyed.
What I Read
An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi: A dear friend gave this book to me and it turned out to be one of the best gifts I received this year. Few people were better equipped to write a book of this kind for the Western readership it is primarily aimed at than Badawi, a Sudanese-British veteran journalist who now serves as the president of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
At more than 500 pages, An African History of Africa is as ambitious as it is imperfect. But Badawi’s effort was worthwhile.
Our Beautiful Darkness by Ondjaki: Set in 1990s Angola against the backdrop of the civil war which devastated that country for nearly two decades, this tale of two lovers trapped in a neighborhood blackout reads like an extended metaphor for the disruptive power cuts millions of Africans contend with in their daily lives, including the contradictory emotions of anxiety, vulnerability and self-reliance they experience.
Ghostroots by Pemi Aguda: Aguda is one of Nigeria’s literary rising stars whose work can be best described as Amos Tutuola meets Irenosen Okojie. Her anticipated debut collection of twelve short stories did not disappoint. Aguda’s ability to unfurl an evocative portrayal of Lagos in narratives of family, heritage, magic, religion and entrepreneurship made for an avowedly Nigerian experience that other readers can nonetheless immerse themselves in.
I particularly liked “24, Alhaji Williams Street” and “Masquerade Season” the most, perhaps because a number of characters in the two stories were similar to people I have known over the years.
A Man With No Title by Xavier Le Clerc: Themes of marginalization and otherness are a constant in this book which narrates the sacrifices immigrants make in order to adapt to a new society, often with little in the way of a tangible payoff. The author uses his father, an Algerian migrant to France who appears on the book cover of the French-language version, as an inspiration throughout the story. A real tearjerker of a story that is difficult to close without completion.
Ground by Jadelin Gangbo: “Ground” is Gangbo’s first novel to be translated to English. In it, the Congo-Brazzaville native neatly weaves a stirring tale of displacement, identity crisis, melancholy and a lack of fulfillment that, though set in Italy and post-Brexit London, can resonate with readers in just about every corner of the globe.
What I Watched
The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder by Inadelso Cossa: One of my earliest recollections of Mozambique came when some childhood acquaintances moved there after their parents—who were diplomats—were posted to Maputo a few years after the conclusion of that country’s civil war. The 15-year conflict, which claimed more than a million lives, is the subject of Inadelso Cossa’s second feature, which bears similarity to A Memory in Three Acts, his 2016 film about that same war.
In The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder, Cossa returns to his grandmother’s village to speak with former rebels and other surviving civilians haunted by the traumas of conflict.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti by Bolanle Austen-Peters: For many formally educated Nigerians of a certain generation, the most commonly recited trivia about Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti is that she was supposedly the first Nigerian woman to drive a car. It goes without saying that this is a grossly reductive portrayal of Ransome-Kuti, the mother of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and a foremost political figure in her own right.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti attempts to do justice to the life of a remarkable woman who inspired Kwame Nkrumah, among others who looked toward examples she set. A must-watch if you’re interested in a story of women’s activism in colonial-era Nigeria and the West Africa region.
The Battle for Laikipia by Peter Murimi and Daphne Matziaraki: It is common for Western commentary and policy on conflicts around land rights and natural resources in African societies to blithely invoke “climate change” as a means of depoliticizing the issues involved.
The Battle for Laikipia, a film set in Laikipia County in Kenya, is a useful departure from that trend. Although it rightly points to the devastating effects of the climate emergency on the livelihoods of landowners and Indigenous pastoralists in the region, the documentary deftly foregrounds the legacy of settler colonialism in Kenya in the tensions between the Samburu people in Laikipia and the largely white conservationists and ranchers in the surrounding area.
Mermaid, Return from the Abyss (Mermaid de retour des abysses) by Jovany Allogho: 5-year-old Julie received a necklace from her mother. Seventeen years later, Julie drowns during a date, only to reappear three years later at the scene of her drowning without any memory of the incident. With the support of her boyfriend and his brother, Julie attempts to find her mother, only to be led down the rabbit hole of her family’s deep secrets including the origin of her necklace.
Mermaid, Return from the Abyss is the feature film debut of Gabonese filmmaker Jovany Allogho. It’s quite the tour de force.
A Soweto Love Story by Rolie Nikiwe: This movie about a mother of three unmarried adult sons who pledges her home to the first one to tie the knot is a little corny and contrived. But I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, as an unmarried African man whose mother and relatives regularly ask when he is getting married.
If you’ve seen A Naija Christmas, then there’s a high chance you’d consider A Soweto Love Story to be an inferior ripoff. All the same, it is a funny, harmless watch that is well timed for the holidays.
What I Listened To
Vibration Universelle by Josey: Vibration Universelle, Ivorian songstress Josey’s sophomore album, is no skips, as the kids say. Running at slightly more than 40 minutes, the album is an immaculately sequenced cocktail of R&B, zouk and coupé-décalé bangers. With only a handful of guest appearances, Josey has enough room to showcase her growth as a musical artist, as highlighted by tracks like “Soyons fous,” “On est là,” “Prends courage” and “Tout laisse,” the album’s lead single and standout track. Josey’s addition to what was a strong musical output by Ivorian musicians in 2024 tracked with a year in which the country celebrated a Cinderella run to winning the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.
The Year I Turned 21 by Ayra Starr: Ayra Starr, the self-styled Sabi Girl, is ready to conquer the world. Her sophomore album affirms her ambition, as seen with her experimentation with a broader range of musical styles like Highlife, amapiano and dancehall.
On TYIT21, the Grammy-nominated singer took calculated risks that generally paid off. “Commas,” the Spotify-friendly banger typifies the Gen-Z sensibilities that define her craft. But there is a lot on the album that oldheads would appreciate, like her intertextual reference to Super Eagles legend Julius Aghahowa on “Woman Commando.” Starr’s interpolation of Wande Coal’s 2009 hit “You Bad” on “Jazzy’s Song” is flawless for someone who was in primary school when the song filled out dance floors in Lagos. Her shoutouts to God will reassure churchy Yorùbá elders who might otherwise have thoughts about her crop tops and microskirts.
Ayra Starr is just getting started and I’m totally here for it.
Calcul by Innoss’B: Calcul marks Innoss’B’s comeback since the release of Mortel-06 in 2021. Calcul represents everything that there is to like about fifth-generation Congolese rumba. “Number One,” a collaboration with Nigerian Afropop sensation Reekado Banks, is a dexterous vibe. “Chantier” almost begs for a 1980s-style collaboration with the late Abeti Masikini and “Sete,” the best of the five tracks, is one of my 10 favorite African records of the year.
A Peça by Anna Joyce: The release of A Peça marked the 10-year anniversary of the launch of Anna Joyce’s career, one that was nearly derailed by a brain tumor she was diagnosed with in 2011. On A Peça, she celebrates her life and career with aplomb. This 11-track gem by the Angolan songstress is an ideal companion for a road trip.
Starter by Ali Kiba: Ali Kiba finds himself in a Tanzanian musical landscape brimming with heavyweights like Marioo, Rayvanny, Nandy, Zuchu, Mbosso and chief rival Diamond Platnumz. Perhaps conscious of the competition breathing down his neck, the King of Bongo Flava returned to assert his prowess with his 7-track EP titled Starter. “Hatari,” a featured track with Jay Melody and “Bailando” with Nandy go extra hard, and are reassurances of his claim to a title he regards as his sole domain.
***************************************
There you have it, that’s my recap of some of the African music, literature and film that I consumed in 2024. I look forward to doing this again in twelve months’ time, at the end of what I hope will be an equally exciting year in Africa’s creative industries.
Happy New Year in advance, and see you in 2025!