The African Dawn Podcast: Recent Episodes
Hosted by Kwesi Owusu
Exclusive interviews with guests sharing unique and untold stories that evoke riveting conversations. Stories that recall history as well as what's happening now in culture, the arts and social media.
Naana Blu's voice dances beautifully on feet-stomping beats by Akablay, the legendary Highlife guitarist and band leader.
Ghana's leading singer and Tik Tok star opens Ama's new soundtrack with a Kool rendition of the legendary song.
I love the horns!
The African Dawn Podcast. Untold stories breaking at dawn!
One of Cinema's most intriguing works of Magic Realism
A twelve-year-old girl, Ama, comes across a computer disc in a deserted African encampment in the English countryside which tells her who she is, an ancestral messenger selected to save her father from death and her brother Joe, a boxer from disaster in an upcoming fight. Can Ama convince them to do the right thing to avoid disaster?
“An intriguing breakthrough!” - Derek Malcolm, The Guardian
“Appealingly fresh and unusual” - Barry Norman, Film 91
"An arresting spectacle" - West Africa Magazine
"Stunning. Not to be missed" -Spare Rib
WORLD PREMIERE OF DIRECTOR'S CUT
26 May 2023 at 7 pm
29 May at 4 pm
Peter Jay Sharp Building
BAM Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
The African Dawn Podcast. Untold stories breaking at dawn!
In the first part of this mini-series, Winston James, the eminent scholar of Pan-African history talks to Kwesi Owusu about the life of Claude Mckay, the Jamaican-born, American writer and poet and the events that inspired his most famous poem, “If We Must Die”. Rare archival records, including the original recording of McKay’s poem, vintage music and powerful testimonies evoke the summer of 1919, one of the most sordid periods in American history.
The African Dawn Podcast. Untold stories breaking at dawn!
For 25 years, Wala Dangarembizi’s legendary Limpopo Club at Africa Centre in London hosted and introduced stars like Baaba Maal, Angelique Kidzo, The Bundu Boys, Kanda Bongo Man and numerous others from across Africa to the international music circuit. The story of the club's fascinating success is told with classic tracks from its 80s heydays and fond recollections by DJ Wala himself.
The episode includes tributes from Pitika Ntuli, Kwesi Owusu, Eugene Skeef, Imruh Bakari, Merle Collins, Ruhi Hamid, Nana Kwame Akoto, Debbie Golt, Lavern Buchanan, Ujebe Masokoane, Chukunyere, Fyna of Lioness Chant, Marlene Smith, Kwate Nee Owoo, Donna Halley-Moore, Priscilla Mhone, Charles Acquah, George Shire and Ra Hendricks.
The African Dawn Podcast. Untold stories breaking at dawn!
Ghana's ace producer and gifted musician chats to Kwesi Owusu about hit songs and highlights of his career.
Prof Louise Owusu explores the true meaning of Highlife music in the lives of Africans abroad in a reverting conversation that also takes on her passion for Rave music, Jungle and Happy Hardcore. It's a roller coaster of musical bites and engaging convo!
Eugene and Kwesi Owusu recollect the heady days of the 1980s when Eugene Skeef arrived in London as an exile from Apartheid South Africa. He explains the significance of meeting the African Dawn, the collective of poets and musicians from the Pan-African world.
It is a long and detailed story. Here, they evoke memorable moments that informed the campaigns for recognition of African and Caribbean arts in Britain during the 1980s. The campaign continued to make significant gains and informs the high profile of Black arts and many artists in British art and cultural institutions today.
Eugene Skeef talks about the deep spiritual philosophy that informed his music and how that was expressed in the extraordinary work of Bheki Mseleku. There were ecstatic days of artistic triumph, as well as difficult days but the music always stayed magical. He puts this down to the spiritual significance of the number seven. Certainly the topic for a hundred more conversations!
Eugene Skeef talks about his close friendship and creative collaboration with Bheki Msuleku, the South African pianist and saxophonist. He identifies the qualities that distinguished Bheki as a musical genius.
In his absence, Eugene Skeef's mother burnt all his creative works to destroy all possible traces of his involvement with the South African freedom movement. Eugene, a close friend and getaway driver of Steve Biko was also tracked by the Apartheid police and secret service.
Another incredible bonfire was when the father of Bheki Mseleku, the legendary musician, chopped up the family piano and burnt it for firewood. Things were hard! Eugene Skeef reflects on these events and recollects the beautiful beginnings of Ladysmith Black Mambazo in his household.
EPISODE 1: SOWETO
Eugene Skeef, the South African multi-media artist bears witness to the uprising of school children in the Shantytown of Soweto in June 1976. The day shook the world and changed the course of his country’s history forever. He discusses his intimate friendship with Steve Biko, the martyred leader of the Black Consciousness Movement and collaborations with Sam Tshabalala, Don Laka and other musicians.
Great music and vivid testimonies weave through this trailer; the fascinating story of the Soweto uprising in 1976 to the exciting London music scene of the 80s. Eugene Skeef, the amazing South African multi-media artist is also an incredible witness!
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