Best music destinations in Africa
Best music destinations in Africa
Traditional open-air concert grounds and acoustic performance spaces in Africa
Africa's music destinations are rooted in traditions that have shaped global popular culture far beyond the continent's borders, with the cities and regions that produced afrobeat, highlife, mbaqanga, gnawa and the dozens of other distinct regional genres offering pilgrimages of genuine depth for dedicated listeners. The continent's musical cultures are inseparable from their social and geographic contexts, with neighbourhood venues, outdoor concerts and community celebrations providing the most authentic access to living traditions.
West and southern Africa have the most developed live music infrastructure, with dedicated venue networks and festival programmes of increasing international profile sustaining scenes that operate primarily for local audiences. North African cities offer access to distinct Arabic, Berber and Andalusian musical traditions through concert halls, festival programmes and informal performance contexts that reward patient and informed exploration.
Festival seasons require advance booking months ahead at the most celebrated events. Visiting outside festival periods delivers more authentic engagement with everyday music culture than peak events allow. Your money goes a long way across most of the continent making extended music itineraries practical even when reaching the most significant regional music scenes requires considerable overland travel.
Lists by region
City in Ghana
Accra
Vibrant Culture and Coastal Charm
Highlife formed in the Gold Coast era from local rhythms, guitar styles and European brass bands. After independence in 1957 E.T. Mensah and his band The Tempos often played for the president. The 1971 Soul to Soul festival here featured Wilson Pickett, Ike and Tina Turner and Carlos Santana.
City in Senegal
Dakar
Vibrant markets and historic waterfront charm
Mbalax developed in the 1970s as bands blended sabar and tama drums into Latin influenced nightclub music. Etoile de Dakar formed in 1977 and launched Youssou N'Dour. Orchestra Baobab broke from the Star Band in 1970. The city was the centre of the 1960s nightclub scene.
City in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kinshasa
Vibrant riverfront city pulsing with music
Le Grand Kalle formed African Jazz in 1953. Its song Independance Cha Cha became an anthem for independence movements across Francophone Africa. Franco's TPOK Jazz dominated for about two decades. Soukous emerged as a faster offshoot of rumba in 1966. Papa Wemba became closely linked with the flamboyant La Sape movement.
City in Nigeria
Lagos
Buzzing Metropolis with Coastal Charm
Fela Kuti recorded with Africa 70 and opened The Shrine, one of the city's most popular music spots. Juju grew out of palm wine music in the 1920s. King Sunny Ade carried it abroad in the early 1980s. Burna Boy's Twice as Tall won a Grammy in 2021.
Country
Cape Verde
Islands of eternal summer
Morna is by far the most popular genre and produced the international star Cesaria Evora. It is believed to have started on Boa Vista before spreading to Sao Vicente. Coladeira grew faster and more humorous in the 1930s. Funana is an accordion based style from Santiago. Batuque began as women's folk music.
City in Kenya
Nairobi
Where urban life meets wild adventures
Neo soul acts such as Sauti Sol played the city's Blankets and Wine events. Hotel bands like Them Mushrooms started here in 1987. Genge hip hop brought artists such as Jua Cali and Nonini. Gengetone emerged in Nairobi in 2019. More than twelve active rock bands were reported in the city.
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