Toyi toyi was the dance of the Mau Mau people in Kenya, as they fought against British colonialism. The dance was embraced by the South Africa anti-apartheid movement as a nonviolent means of challenging systems of oppression.

The collaborative music project “Keleketla!” embraces the call-and response tradition of toyi toyi, as well as the way music and politics can feed off each other to produce a transcendent experience.

The following was originally published at Ongoing History of Protest Songs. Influential Nigerian drummer Tony Allen died on April 30, 2020, at the age of 79. He was considered a pioneer of the Afrobeat genre for his work with Fela Kuti as the drummer and music director of Fela’s backing

For the May 3 newsletter, Shadowproof managing editor Kevin Gosztola paid tribute to Nigerian drummer Tony Allen. *** Tony Allen developed a signature way of playing the drums, including polyrhythms, that defined some of the most revolutionary music ever produced. And right up until his death at the age of