Togo - West Africa - page 902

music originating from Angola. In Sierra Leone, gumbe evolved from the breezy, calypso-
style guitar music called palm-wine or maringa. The late SE Rogie and the Ghana-based
elder statesman Koo Nimo, who also play highlife, are probably the best-known expo-
nents.
Martin Scorsese presents the Blues: Feels Like Going Home (Martin Scorsese; 2003) follows musician Corey Harris'
travels through Mississippi and West Africa, exploring the roots of blues music. Includes performances
by Salif Keita, Habib Kolté, Taj Mahal and Ali Farka Touré.
Highlife
Ghana's urban, upbeat highlife, which started off in the dancehalls of the colonial Gold
Coast, has had a ripple effect throughout West Africa. Trumpeter and band leader ET
Mensah was the postwar, pan-African king of this sound, a blend of everything from Trin-
idadian calypso, brass-band music and Cuban son, to swing, jazz and older African song
forms. Osibisa were the 'Afro-rock' pop-highlife group of the 1970s. Today's hybrids in-
clude gospel, hip-hop (hip-life) and the ever-popular guitar highlife. Amekye Dede and
Jewel Ackah are popular highlife artists; Tic Tac, Sarkodie and FOKN Bois are living it
large in hiplife. Highlife is also a staple of Sierra Leone, Liberia and (with a Congolese in-
fluence) Nigeria. Check out early recordings by Dr Victor Olaiya, Nigerian highlife's 'evil
genius' and his band, Cool Cats.
Africanhiphop.com ( www.africanhiphop.com ) has been mapping the development of African hip-hop cul-
ture since the '90s; it features links, new productions and contributions from the artists themselves.
Juju
Juju music evolved from a mix of traditional Yoruba talking drums and folklore, and pop-
ular palm-wine guitar music. Its best known ambassador, King Sunny Ade, has been de-
ploying his relentless blend of ringing guitar lines, multilayered percussion, tight harmon-
ies and booty shaking for four decades now. In Nigeria he's known as KSA, the Minister
for Enjoyment. Competition with his rival Sir Shina Peters continues. Juju is not to be
confused with the Arabesque percussion frenzy that is fuji : main players include King
Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM1) and King Saheed Osupa, who uses his songs to advise
and educate his fans.