2020 in African music

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The following is a list of events and releases that have happened or are expected to happen in 2020 in African music.

Events

18 March - It is announced that Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango has tested positive for coronavirus.^[1]
30 June - Ethiopia's internet is taken down by the government amid unrest brought about by the shooting of musician and political activist Hachalu Hundessa.^[2]

Albums released in 2020

Release date	Artist	Album	Genre	Label	Ref
January	Les Amazones d'Afrique	Amazones Power	AfroPop/Funk/Blues	Real World Records	^[3]
February 28	2Baba	Warriors	Afropop	Hypertek Digital	^[4]
March 6	M.I Abaga	Judah (EP)	Hip hop	Chocolate City	^[5]
March	Tamikrest	Tamotait	Desert blues /Tuareg	Glitterbeat	^[3]
April 1	Brymo	Yellow	Alternative pop	Indie	^[6]
April 15	M.I Abaga and A-Q	The Live Report (EP)	Hip-hop	Incredible Music, Cordless	^[7]
May 1	Asikey	Yellow (EP)	Folk, EDM, R&B/Alternative	Indie	^[8]
June 5	Sauti Sol	Midnight Train	Afropop	Sauti Sol Entertainment	^[9]
July 3	Keleketla!	Keleketla!	Electronic	Ahead Of Our Time	^[10]
August 28	Seether	Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum	Rock		^[11]

Classical

Michael Blake – Nattlige Toner/Night Music (film score, arranged for violin and harp)^[12]

Musical films

Deaths

January 19 - Allah Thérèse, age unknown, Ivorian traditional singer^[13]
February 1 - Kofi B, age unknown, Ghanaian highlife musician (heart attack)^[14]
February 9 - Abdel Aziz El Mubarak, 69, Sudanese singer (pneumonia)^[15]
February 11 - Joseph Shabalala, 78, South African musician (Ladysmith Black Mambazo).^[16]
February 12 - Victor Olaiya, 89, Nigerian highlife trumpeter^[17]
February 15 - Prince Kudakwashe Musarurwa, 31, Zimbabwean Afro Jazz singer, songwriter, producer and musician^[18]
February 16 - Erickson Le Zulu, 41 Ivorian disc jockey and singer^[19]
February 17 - Kizito Mihigo, 38, Rwandan gospel singer.^[20]
March 18 - Kenneth Kafui, age unknown, Ghanaian composer^[21]
March 19 - Aurlus Mabélé, 66, Congolese singer and composer, the "King of Soukous"^[22]
March 24 - Manu Dibango, 86, Cameroonian musician and saxophonist (COVID-19)^[23]
April 5 - DJ Miller (Virgile Karuranga), 29, Rwandan DJ and musician (stroke)^[24]
April 7 - Hudeydi, 91, Somali musician^[25]
April 14
- Akin Euba, 84, Nigerian composer, musicologist, and pianist^[26]
- Kasongo wa Kanema, 73, Congolese musician (Orchestra Super Mazembe).^[27]
April 30 – Tony Allen, 79, Nigerian drummer, composer and songwriter (abdominal aortic aneurysm)^[28]
May 22 – Mory Kanté, 70, Guinean singer and musician^[29]
June 1 – Majek Fashek, 57, Nigerian reggae singer and songwriter^[30]
June 12
- Dodo Doris, 71, Congolese musician (Orchestra Super Mazembe)^[31]
  - Claude Ndam, 65, Cameroonian singer-songwriter^[32]
June 14 – Mama Nguéa, 60, Cameroonian singer (diabetes)^[33]
June 15
- Omondi Long'lilo, 37, Kenyan Benga musician (cancer)^[34]
- Nana Tuffour, 66, Ghanaian highlife singer^[35]
June 29 – Hachalu Hundessa, 34, Ethiopian singer-songwriter (shot)^[36]
July 10 – Cosmas Magaya, 67, Zimbabwean mbira musician (COVID-19)^[37]

References

^ BBC: Manu Dibango testé positif au coronavirus, 18 March 2020
^ "Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa shot dead in Addis Ababa". Al Jazeera. 30 June 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Album Releases 2020". African Music Guide. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
^ Motolani Alake (March 2, 2020). "'Warrior' by 2Baba Idibia is a necessary lesson on legendary status and expectation [Album Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
^ Motolani Alake (March 8, 2020). "On 'Judah,' MI Abaga uses biblical references to redefine martyrdom [EP Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
^ "Happiness is Coming in April! Brymo is Finally Dropping New Album "Yellow"". BellaNaija. March 2, 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
^ Motolani Alake (April 18, 2020). "'The Live Report' is a timely study of society and a response to conundrums by AQ and MI Abaga [Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
^ Motolani Alake (May 7, 2020). "'Yellow' sees Asikey's glowing tribute to mental health, self-love and upliftment [EP Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
^ "Sauti Sol Set to Release 'Midnight Train' Album in June". Khusoko. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
^ Pareles, Jon (July 2, 2020). "Coldcut + Tony Allen and African Artists = Studio Electricity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ "SEETHER To Release 'Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum' Album In August; 'Dangerous' Single Available". Blabbermouth.net. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
^ "Sixth Purpur Festival". Youngblood Africa. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
^ KOACI. "Côte d'Ivoire: Allah Thérèse décède dans sa 70eme année à Djekanou". KOACI (in French). Retrieved 2020-01-21.
^ Simon Asare. "Highlife legend Kofi B passes on". Ghana News Agency. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
^ بعد صراع مع المرض.. وفاة الفنان السودانى عبد العزيز المبارك داخل مستشفى بالقاهرة (in Arabic)
^ Dr Joseph Shabalala passes away in hospital
^ "Victor Olaiya, Nigerian highlife musician, dies at 89". The Cable. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
^ "Just In: Musician Prince Kudakwashe Musarurwa Has Died". Zimeye. 15 February 2020.
^ "Décès en France de Erickson le Zulu, l'ex star du Coupé décalé". Afrique Sur 7 (in French). 16 February 2020.
^ Ritah Kemigisa (February 17, 2020). "Detained Rwandan musician dies in police cell". kfm.
^ "GhanaWeb, Choral composer Ken Kafui dies". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
^ "Coronavirus: 67-year-old Congolese musician Aurlus Mabele is dead". Africa Tembelea. 20 March 2020.
^ "Manu Dibango: African saxophone legend dies of Covid-19". BBC.com. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
^ Andrew Shyaka. "Dj Miller Dies At 29". KT Press. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
^ "Somalia: Legendary musician succumbs to COVID-19 in London". Garowe Online. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
^ Gregory Austin (15 April 2020). "Akin Euba, the father of African pianism, dies at 84". The Guardian.
^ Veteran Congolese musician Kasongo wa Kanema dies
^ Daniel Kreps; Elias Leight (April 30, 2020). "Tony Allen, Pioneering Afrobeat Drummer, Dead at 79". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
^ "Mory Kanté: African music star dies aged 70". BBC News. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
^ "Nigerian reggae legend Majek Fashek dies at 57". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
^ Amos Ngaira. "Another Super Mazembe star Dodo Doris dies". Daily Nation. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
^ "Le Monument de la musique camerounaise Claude Ndam victime d' attaque cardiaque (AVC), il serait dans un état très critique". Culturebene (in French). 15 February 2020.
^ Lehman, Natacha (June 15, 2020). "Cameroonian Artist Mama Nguea is No More". Cameroon Radio Television.
^ Omondi Long' Lilo: Popular Benga Maestro Succumbs to Cancer
^ "Highlife veteran Nana Tuffuor dead". June 15, 2020.
^ "Deadly protests erupt after Ethiopian singer killed". BBC News. 30 June 2020.
^ "Mbira Master Cosmas Magaya Dies at 67". World Music Central. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

[1] BBC: Manu Dibango testé positif au coronavirus, 18 March 2020

[2] "Ethiopian singer Hachalu Hundessa shot dead in Addis Ababa". Al Jazeera. 30 June 2020.

[afriguide-3] "Album Releases 2020". African Music Guide. Retrieved 15 February 2020.

[4] Motolani Alake (March 2, 2020). "'Warrior' by 2Baba Idibia is a necessary lesson on legendary status and expectation [Album Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 10 March 2020.

[5] Motolani Alake (March 8, 2020). "On 'Judah,' MI Abaga uses biblical references to redefine martyrdom [EP Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 10 March 2020.

[6] "Happiness is Coming in April! Brymo is Finally Dropping New Album "Yellow"". BellaNaija. March 2, 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.

[7] Motolani Alake (April 18, 2020). "'The Live Report' is a timely study of society and a response to conundrums by AQ and MI Abaga [Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 1 May 2020.

[8] Motolani Alake (May 7, 2020). "'Yellow' sees Asikey's glowing tribute to mental health, self-love and upliftment [EP Review]". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 7 May 2020.

[9] "Sauti Sol Set to Release 'Midnight Train' Album in June". Khusoko. Retrieved 7 May 2020.

[10] Pareles, Jon (July 2, 2020). "Coldcut + Tony Allen and African Artists = Studio Electricity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[11] "SEETHER To Release 'Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum' Album In August; 'Dangerous' Single Available". Blabbermouth.net. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

[12] "Sixth Purpur Festival". Youngblood Africa. Retrieved 20 March 2020.

[13] KOACI. "Côte d'Ivoire: Allah Thérèse décède dans sa 70eme année à Djekanou". KOACI (in French). Retrieved 2020-01-21.

[14] Simon Asare. "Highlife legend Kofi B passes on". Ghana News Agency. Retrieved 2 February 2020.

[15] بعد صراع مع المرض.. وفاة الفنان السودانى عبد العزيز المبارك داخل مستشفى بالقاهرة (in Arabic)

[16] Dr Joseph Shabalala passes away in hospital

[17] "Victor Olaiya, Nigerian highlife musician, dies at 89". The Cable. Retrieved 13 February 2020.

[18] "Just In: Musician Prince Kudakwashe Musarurwa Has Died". Zimeye. 15 February 2020.

[19] "Décès en France de Erickson le Zulu, l'ex star du Coupé décalé". Afrique Sur 7 (in French). 16 February 2020.

[20] Ritah Kemigisa (February 17, 2020). "Detained Rwandan musician dies in police cell". kfm.

[21] "GhanaWeb, Choral composer Ken Kafui dies". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2020-03-18.

[22] "Coronavirus: 67-year-old Congolese musician Aurlus Mabele is dead". Africa Tembelea. 20 March 2020.

[23] "Manu Dibango: African saxophone legend dies of Covid-19". BBC.com. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

[24] Andrew Shyaka. "Dj Miller Dies At 29". KT Press. Retrieved 5 April 2020.

[25] "Somalia: Legendary musician succumbs to COVID-19 in London". Garowe Online. Retrieved 8 April 2020.

[26] Gregory Austin (15 April 2020). "Akin Euba, the father of African pianism, dies at 84". The Guardian.

[27] Veteran Congolese musician Kasongo wa Kanema dies

[28] Daniel Kreps; Elias Leight (April 30, 2020). "Tony Allen, Pioneering Afrobeat Drummer, Dead at 79". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 May 2020.

[29] "Mory Kanté: African music star dies aged 70". BBC News. Retrieved 22 May 2020.

[30] "Nigerian reggae legend Majek Fashek dies at 57". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[31] Amos Ngaira. "Another Super Mazembe star Dodo Doris dies". Daily Nation. Retrieved 21 June 2020.

[32] "Le Monument de la musique camerounaise Claude Ndam victime d' attaque cardiaque (AVC), il serait dans un état très critique". Culturebene (in French). 15 February 2020.

[33] Lehman, Natacha (June 15, 2020). "Cameroonian Artist Mama Nguea is No More". Cameroon Radio Television.

[34] Omondi Long' Lilo: Popular Benga Maestro Succumbs to Cancer

[35] "Highlife veteran Nana Tuffuor dead". June 15, 2020.

[36] "Deadly protests erupt after Ethiopian singer killed". BBC News. 30 June 2020.

[37] "Mbira Master Cosmas Magaya Dies at 67". World Music Central. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

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Events

Albums released in 2020

Classical

Musical films

Deaths

See also

References