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AFRICA ON YOUR STREET

BBC's Africa Music Scene in The UK (www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/africaonyourstreet) 
By Segun Fajemisin Skip Intro Text And Meet The Hosts

    In a move that will redefine a new community of African music enthusiasts, BBC Radio 3 introduces a new website celebrating the African music scene across the UK

BBC Radio 3 has introduced a sizzling website on African music scene in the UK. Launched on January 1 2004 and aptly named ‘AFRICA ON YOUR STREET’, the new initiative will be anchored by a team of talented Africans whose interests span music, journalism and entertainment. They will offer tips on gigs, clips of their favourite CDs, news from the studio and gossip from the dance floor, covering styles from AFROBEAT to ZOUK and from laid-back MBIRA to full-on hip-hop. 

The website is also expected to host profiles of the big international artistes on tour and interviews with a wealth of African musicians based in the UK. With this development, it is hoped that a new community of music-lovers will be created thereby celebrating the UK’s rich heritage of African musical traditions as well as the fresh energy of new styles and fusions being fashioned out here every day.

Africans are the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the UK and the third largest ethnic group after Asians and Black Caribbeans. Yet Africans in the UK have no dedicated service of any kind on BBC national radio or web. At the same time, the BBC’s ‘world music’ programmes and websites contain more African music than that of any other region. ‘AFRICA ON YOUR STREET’ will bring together this content in an appealing form.

The website will be ‘hosted’ by seven African hosts on a weekly rotation. These will be a mix of musicians, journalists and music enthusiasts who will each bring a personal, informal style to the site. They will write about their current musical passions, highlight upcoming gigs and events, and point users towards other content on the website. 

There will be features celebrating African musical history, photo-galleries from events and clubs, and users will be invited to send in photos. Web visitors will be able to contribute their own comments, reviews, news and recommendations. 
For a website that holds out such determined promise and proclivity to deliver, here’s what the programme hosts have to say:

MEET SOME OF THE HOSTS

“Having a site like ‘Africa on Your Street’ demonstrates the vast and untapped continent of African creativity and talent. I believe it’s only the beginning of the public's increasing interest in African history, culture, music, fashion, food, art and her diverse descendants.”

- Shaheera Asante, guest presenter of Radio 3’s Late Junction, who will be selecting her own highlights from the ‘African global groove’ in London.


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“I want to get across to my African people what’s happening in the music scene – Makossa, Soukous, Highlife, African jazz, Fuji, Afro-juju, Zouk…. I’ll give them who’s in the charts at the moment, the latest releases, club scenes and parties, who’s travelling and who’s on tour, all the gossip!”

- DJ Ify covering the Nigerian and pan-African music scene including parties and community events.

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“As a host, I'm specifically hoping to reach younger people who may think that hip-hop needs to be American to sound heavy .... There’s a lot of African hip-hop that's just as good - or even better! Many people will be surprised to hear some of the unique styles coming straight from the streets of Africa. Young Africans in the Diaspora will hopefully find things on the site that make them proud and teach them more about their own culture.”

- Nigerian-born hip hop artiste JJC (aka Skillz from Big Brovaz) handling the urban African music scene

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“The website will allow me to provide a window to the Somali world in the West. I’m excited about how visitors to the website will be able to post their own views and comments. I’d like to create a place where young Somalians can discuss their music and culture.”

- Awale Kullane will be covering Somalian music across the UK

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“As a hybrid of Geordie and Cameroonian, I'm absolutely delighted to introduce the African community of the North East region of England to AOYS. Yes, there are Africans north of Leeds! Here in Newcastle upon Tyne, our African music scene is slowly developing as new communities grow”.

- Yve Ngoo will cover the changing African scene in Newcastle and the north.

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“African music has been for me a way of remembering and reconnecting with my cultural heritage. As a host for 'Africa on your Street' I want to give other people the chance to weave their memories through music in the same way.”

- Chino Odimba will cover African music in Bristol and around. 

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‘'I love the idea of being able to log on AOYS to find out what is happening around the UK. I’ll write about international artists but I’ll also be looking at the amazing music you can find on a community level.”
- DJ Rita Ray will be covering African music from across the continent happening in and around London.

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Check out the website at www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/africaonyourstreet and share in the beauty of a rich cultural heritage.

***Segun Fajemisin is a Nigerian journalist resident in London

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