Why Africa’s global music boom still leaves much of the continent unheard | CNN

When people say African music is having a “global moment,” they are often talking about only a small part of the continent. “Nigeria and South Africa are dominating the most,” said Tuma Basa, YouTube’s former director of Black music culture, who recently announced his departure after eight years at the company. Afrobeats and Amapiano — South African electronic dance music — are elevating African music worldwide, but the continent’s global presence is still concentrated in only a few countries, despite rich diversity across 50-plus nations. For Basa, the reasons are both cultural and structural. “Firstly, they are all English-speaking and right now that still makes a difference in terms of international acceptance of music,” said Basa, referring to Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana. Diaspora communities have also played a major role in exporting African sounds internationally. “Strong diasporas of Nigeria and Ghana are key in getting this music popular,” Basa said. “South Africa doesn’t have as large diaspora, but their dances spread through social media like wildfire.” Events in Lagos and Accra, such as “Detty December” and Ghana’s “Year of Retu