There’s still time left to recognize Chad’s Independence Day today, and keeping with our regular feature, we’re posting popular music from the country.

First up is a short clip of Mounira Mitchala, handling a live show in Paris:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gM-LNwHo2w&w=600&h=373]


Being part of the French sphere of influence, Chadians are listening to and making music popular in other Francophone African countries such as Ndombolo, Coupe Decale, Zouk, and Rap.

Jorio Stars, a Cameroonian and Chadian collaboration(?):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p1XE_8GoMQ&w=600&h=373]

A nice dance song and video by Pyramydes:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaZ8r2cXy5U&w=600&h=373]

And a Rap song with a beat that sounds (a little bit) like it’s sampling Triggerman!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbRYBdAv3HU&w=600&h=373]
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Rap is no surprise really, partly because of the worldwide trend, but also because the most famous rapper of Chadian origin is non other than the one MC Solaar:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-zygf1U1ms&w=600&h=373]

Today, it seems that there are nuff home studio recordings by Chadian teenagers, if youtube has anything to say about it.

The francophone alignment has historical precedence, folks like Maître Gazonga were making Soukous hits in the 1980’s:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvvD9RSp6c8&w=600&h=373]

There’s also the Arabic language sphere of influence which produced this Auto-tuned wonder set to a propaganda video:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7vdp-mH9XU&w=600&h=373]

It’s a symptom of the digital age that when finding new music information may be distorted, as Sahel Sounds put so eloquently.

This is might or might not be Farge Elhaloani, and he might or might not be a Sudanese singer performing in Chad:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGpEfR3etVU&w=600&h=373]

And finally to smooth out your evening…

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEL9Dia0zrg&w=600&h=373]

Further Reading

No one should be surprised we exist

The documentary film, ‘Rolé—Histórias dos Rolezinhos’ by Afro-Brazilian filmmaker Vladimir Seixas uses sharp commentary to expose social, political, and cultural inequalities within Brazilian society.

Kenya’s stalemate

A fundamental contest between two orders is taking place in Kenya. Will its progressives seize the moment to catalyze a vision for social, economic, and political change?

More than a building

The film ‘No Place But Here’ uses VR or 360 media to immerse a viewer inside a housing occupation in Cape Town. In the process, it wants to challenge gentrification and the capitalist logic of home ownership.