Afropop Worldwide is proud to announce a special lineup of programs celebrating the extraordinary contributions of women in global music throughout March 2025 in honor of Women’s History Month.
This carefully curated series highlights influential female artists who have shaped musical traditions across Africa and the diaspora, featuring both iconic legends and contemporary innovators.
MARCH PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE:
March 4: PA033 – Programming details to be announced
March 6: Program #629 – Afropop’s Tribute to Cesaria Evora
Celebrating the life and artistry of Grammy Award-winning Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora, featuring an encore of her magnificent 1995 New York City debut at the Bottom Line. Known as the “Queen of the Morna,” Evora’s elegant performances with her ensemble showcase her timeless talent. The program includes special tributes from accomplished protégés Fantcha and Mayra Andrade, who share stories and songs inspired by one of the most influential artists of the modern African era.
March 13: Program #683 – Reconstructing Somalia: Love Songs at the Birth of a Nation
A rare musical portrait of Somalia’s formative, pre-civil war years (1960-90), when the nation sought to forge a culturally authentic yet modern identity. Guided by historian Lidwien Kapteijns, author of “Women’s Voices in a Man’s World,” this program features rare archival recordings that reveal the social debates and gender negotiations contained in their lyrics. From rural poetry to Mogadishu recording studios and the contemporary reflections of rapper K’Naan, the program illuminates the rich culture behind recent headlines.
March 18: PA035 – Programming details to be announced
March 20: Program #671 – Lebanon 1: Fairuz, A Woman for all Seasons
An exploration of Fairuz, the most beloved living singer throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Since the 1950s, her music has transcended boundaries of age, gender, class, religion, nationality, and political persuasion. Guided by her biographer Kenneth Habib and Ghady Rahbani, this program examines how Fairuz and her collaborators from the Rahbani family created music both serious and accessible during times of unprecedented division, demonstrating that harmony among the Abrahamic faiths is not an illusion but a possibility.
March 27: Program #785 – Four Women of the West
Focusing on four innovative West African singer-composers who honor tradition while pushing musical boundaries. Featured artists include Mali’s Fatoumata Diawara, who blends traditional sounds with rock to reach young audiences; Senegal’s Aida Samb, who forges new paths for mbalax music; Cape Verde’s Elida Almeida, whose freewheeling compositions appeal across generations; and Benin’s Angelique Kidjo, who recently re-Africanized Talking Heads’ “Remain in Light” album. The program includes interviews with all four groundbreaking artists.
For more information about these special programs or to arrange interviews, please contact Ceyvion Biggs at ceyvion@afropop.org or reach out to info@afropop.org.
About Afropop Worldwide:
Afropop Worldwide is the Peabody Award-winning radio program and online magazine dedicated to music from Africa and the African diaspora. For over 30 years, Afropop has brought the best of African and world music to American audiences, along with insightful commentary, artist interviews, and cultural context. Hosted by Georges Collinet and produced by Sean Barlow, Afropop Worldwide is distributed by Public Radio International to public radio stations across the United States and is available as a podcast and through its website afropop.org.
