This month on Africa Is a Country Radio, we wrap up our literary theme with a show inspired by Chinua Achebe, and take a listen to music from the post-independence era. We start out with music from the early 1960s, the point at which many African nations first came into being (after many years of imagining what nationhood might mean), where we can hear how some of the threads of national identity we have today were formed—borrowing global influences, and inserting local perspectives into both the form and content of the music. Then we move into the political, economic, and creative peak of post-independence in the 1970s when most nations became independent, some of them saw a commodities boom, and many local music industries saw their peak in investment. The music recordings from throughout this era is some of the most inspired, popular, and globally influential the African continent has ever produced.

Listen below, or on Worldwide FM and follow us on Mixcloud.