RC 261024SAfm
Saturday, 24 October 2026
Zambia's 1964 Independence Day anchored this Music of Africa episode, alongside the Copperbelt strike history and profiles of Pierre Akendengu, Devera Nguena Jazz Band and Mayway.
- 03:36
Zambia's Independence Day marks 24 October 1964, when Northern Rhodesia became the independent republic of Zambia and Kenneth Kaunda became its first president, after years of nationalist struggle.
- 03:34
Copperbelt mineworkers led the path to independence: a 1935 strike over a new colonial tax was met with British force that left several Africans dead, and a larger strike followed in 1940.
- 04:15
Gabonese singer-songwriter and poet Pierre Akendengu, born 25 April 1943, was the show's first featured artist, blending traditional Gabonese music with folk influences and French chansons.
- 04:33
Zimbabwe's Devera Nguena Jazz Band, formed around 1979 at a mine in Mashava and led by Jonah Moyo, grew from mineworker entertainment into a sungura-linked movement.
- 04:52
Ivorian musician Mayway, born Frédéric Désiré Ewy in 1962, created Zoblazo, blending traditional Ivorian rhythms with dance beats; his debut album Ayibabu came out in 1989.