Mawanga to feature on BBC’s Africa Beats

Afrovibe artist Peter Mawanga will on the evening of Friday 10 May feature on the BBC’s Africa Beatsprogramme.

According to the BBC’s Global News Communications senior publicist Lala Najafova the Africa Beats programme returns after a successful inaugural series to its global audiences on TV, radio and online.

“From Friday 19 April, the new weekly, eight-part series Africa Beats 2 will showcase the continent’s best up-and-coming musical talent – this time drawing on the rich musical traditions of the DRC, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe,” read the statement from the BBC in part.

Each of the eight musicians on Africa Beats 2 performs a song which is close to their heart and which acts as a springboard for reflection about their musical influences, motivations and aspirations.

BBC Africa Senior Producer, Catherine Fellows, says: “All the musicians featured in the new Africa Beatsseries are artists. They are originals who compose their music and write their lyrics. They are conscious about where they come from, where they are going and their influence in the world.”

Africa Beats 2

brings:- Sunday from The Soil, an a cappella-cum-beatbox harmonised melody, indebted to South Africa’s choral heritage as the opening act of the programme this Friday.

The Soil will be followed by Congolese musician Jupiter who has rejected rhumba for which his native DR Congo is famous in favour of a funky sound which mines traditional Congolese rhythms.

The third Friday will feature Toya De Lazy, a rising South African pop star and jazz pianist who delivers an acoustic version of her latest soul/pop hit.

The following Friday, Peter Mawanga and the Amaravi movement will perform traditional rhythms on guitar, percussion and marimba.

He will be followed by Nigerian alternative soul artist Bez, after which South African Jaak who raps in Afrikaans, accompanied by an opera singer and a violinist will be featured.

Then Zimbabwean afro-fusion artist Mokoomba will be featured on 31 May and to crown it all off Ethiopian group Krar to close the programme off.

Africa Beats 2

will be broadcast on BBC radio and TV and on www.bbc.com/news