Discover Super Talented African Artists

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Discover Super Talented African Artists

Africa is a vast continent with a rich and diverse culture and traditions. This wealth and diversity ensures that Africa is served with some of the world’s greatest artistic talents.

To celebrate and honor this wealth and diversity, we have compiled a diverse list of our favorite famous African artists who are still alive today.

Michael Owusu Addo (Sarkodie), Musician – Ghana

Michael Owusu Addo (sarkodie) Musician Ghana

From his humble beginning as an underground rapper, Michael Owusu Addo (1) who is popularly known as ‘Sarkodie’, rose to fame through his single debut by the name ‘Baby’. Being the first Ghanaian (2) to win BET Award, Sarkodie has received the most nominations by any Ghanaian standard.

This is evidenced by the fact that he was billed as the 19 most influential Ghanaian of the time, a great fete in a continent that still ‘worships’ politicians to the demigod status. Sarkodie has been a staunch advocate of Azonto, a popular African music genre that owes its roots to the traditional Ghanaian Kpanlogo dance.

His first single, ‘Mewu’, from his fourth Album became an instant sensation upon release with sales topping 4,000 copies on its first day of release in Accra Ghana. Billed by Forbes as among the “Top 10 Richest/Bankable African Artists,” Sarkodie has definitely etched his mark on the African entertainment scene.

Aya Tarek, Graffiti Artist – Egypt

Aya Tarek, Grafitti Artist – Egypt

Aya Tarek (3) is a street artist (graffiti) who came to fame during the ‘Arab Spring’ – a political uprising in Egypt (4) that ended the long reign of dictator Hosni Mubarak.

She used her graffiti to express political views and communicate to the world about the feelings and sentiments of the Egyptian people protesting against the autocratic regime.

Apart from grafitti, Aya Tarek has also participated in film creation. She has featured in Microphone, a film created by Abdallah whose primary theme is about art scene in the Alexandria Metropolitan. She has also featured in her own masterpiece, “How to F*ck Your Mind”, which is an explosive expression of her views.

Her niche, using graffiti to communicate political and national issues, has made her uniquely positioned not only as the voice of the voiceless in the gravely censored media space in Egypt, but also in the Arab world.

Ama Ata Aidoo, Playwright – Ghana

Ama Ata Aidoo, Playwright Ghana

Maybe too big for this list, Ama Ata Aidoo (5) is much more than an artist. Apart from being a playwright, poet, and author, she is also a scholar, a politician, an administrator, and philanthropist.

She has been a Minister for Education under Jerry Rawling’s regime. Aidoo is currently running Mbaasem Foundation which she established in 2000 as an organization dedicated to the promotion of African women writers.

She has more than a dozen titles to her literary work. The most famous of them being ‘The Dilema of a Ghost’, ‘Our Sister Killjoy’, and ‘Anowa’.

Nkosinathi Maphumulo (Black Coffee) – South Africa

Nkosinathi Maphumulo (black Coffee) South Africa

Born in Kwazulu Natal, Nkosinathi Maphumulo (6), popularly known as ‘Black Coffee’, is a multi-award winning artist who has collaborated with world-famous musicians such as Alicia Keys, Drake, John Legend, and Usher, among others.

One of his famous masterpieces is “We Dance Again” from “Pieces of Me” album that catapulted him to global fame. To his credit, he is the first South African (7) to win BET Award. In addition, he has won DJ Award for Best Deep House, plus three other South African awards.

His Soulistic Music, a leading management and record company, has been able to sign off releases from Zakes Bantwini, Culoe De Song, and Tumelo. All of them made spectacular achievement in gold and platinum sales.

Ngugi Wa Thiongo, Playwright – Kenya

Ngugi Wa Thiongo, Playwright Kenya

Once imprisoned for his theatrical arts, Professor Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (8) is a renowned playwright and literary scholar from Kenya (9). He has worked extensively while in exile in the United States.

He has produced various literature works and drama pieces. As a persistent advocate of decolonizing the African mind, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o has used his literary works to educate Kenyans in particular and Africa in general, against cultural colonization by the West.

It is from this grounding that Ngugi Wa Thiong’o writes extensively in his ethnic Kikuyu language and then makes translation to other languages including Swahili and English. He is one of the rarest few scholars who write in their own ethnic languages.

Billed over the ages as a potential candidate for Nobel Prize in literature, Ngugi continues to inspire many, especially in his persistent message of mental decolonization. Maybe this is one of those unpalatable subjects that the West-dominated Nobel Prize Committee won’t love to entertain.

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