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BBC 6music announces African music weekend
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 7 January 2014
BBC 6music is to spend a weekend delving into music from across Africa later this month. From Friday 17 Jan to Sunday 19 Jan, various presenters and guests will play some of their favourite tracks from African artists under the banner ‘BBC Radio 6music Celebrates African Music’.
Head of Programmes at 6, Paul Rodgers, told CMU: “BBC Radio 6music is a place where presenters can explore their musical passions. Across a range of shows, 6music Celebrates African Music does just that and is the first of a number of opportunities planned for 2014 in which our trusted guides will come together to share insight and enthusiasm for a great body of music”.
Gideon Coe, Rita Ray, Tom Ravenscroft, Cerys Matthews and Mary Anne Hobbs will all join in, with Tom Robinson calling on the station’s listeners to compile an Africa-inspired playlist on his ‘Now Playing @6music’ show. The main focus of the run will be a new documentary, entitled ‘Mali Music’, presented by Gemma Cairney.
Explains Cairney: “When I think of Mali, I hear it. My body starts to sway, it is a soundscape that captures life in sound and colour. Music is the heartbeat of its people. To deny them of such expression and pleasure is difficult to fathom, but due to political unrest in the north of the country, music was banned and many of the musicians fled as it was no longer safe for them to live there”.
She continued: “I wanted to find out more about the story of Mali music and where it’s at today. My time there was something I never have and probably never will experience anything like ever again. BBC Radio 6music is the perfect home for this documentary as it ignites thought and gets beneath the music. I hope ‘Mali Music’ does exactly that and makes your body sway too”.
The documentary also looks at the project Damon Albarn’s Africa Express undertook in Mali where local musicians teamed up with Western artists such as Brian Eno, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner, and Ghostpoet.
